The last time USC Trojans fans tasted success was way back in 2022 when Lincoln Riley and boys achieved an 11-3 overall record. Following that, both the 2023 and 2024 seasons proved to be a struggle. Going into the 2024 season, Jayden Maiava was initially named the backup to Miller Moss. However, after a rough 4-5 start, Moss was benched, and Maiava stepped in as the starter, making history as the first Polynesian quarterback to start at USC. Last season, Riley had high hopes for him, but unfortunately, it didn’t pan out due to some costly mistakes. As Liam Blutman put it, the “Maiava experiment at USC been a massive failure.” Now, despite those failed experiments, Riley is actually giving Maiava a clean slate.
On the other hand, there’s another name generating buzz that could potentially change the Trojans’ future—5-star Husan Longstreet. Word is, he has already won Riley over.
Jayden Maiava’s path to regaining Lincoln Riley’s trust
Well, just a season prior, Riley had someone like Caleb Williams running the quarterback show. So he can’t be blamed for holding high hopes for his QB. Then came Maiava, the quarterback who is described as a player with a high ceiling but a low floor. The variance between his best self and his worst self is large. He gifted Riley the best and worst of the football world. Maiava was a turnover machine against Texas A&M. In every bad decision, he had his name signed. The positives included a 28-yard first-quarter scoring strike to Duce Robinson. The worst from the sophomore transfer from UNLV included three costly interceptions in the Las Vegas Bowl. And this was enough to get roasted by analysts.
As Barstool Sports analyst Liam Blutman wrote, “Wish he stuck at UNLV. Instead, he went to the school of Caleb Williams Cosplaying and it’s completely neutered his development.” However, Riley refuses to dig into the old, dark past. Instead, he focuses on how his QB has worked on himself.
On March 25, right after the spring game practice, Riley faced the media, where he was asked about Maiava’s glow-up in 2025. The HC said, “I think he’s more confident in himself as a player, [with] the ability to execute our offense. He’s more confident, I think, in just the relationships that he’s developed with his teammates.” Riley tags the QB’s last year as a “unique situation.”
Riley kind of tried to whitewash Maiava’s image. “You come in towards the end of the year, and you become the starter, and that’s a tricky position.” In this season, the QB has won back the HC’s trust. “He certainly seems just more confident, more assertive as a leader, as a player right now. And that’s what we’re going to need him to be.” Before the spring practice, Riley said he wanted his QB to fly higher and yet not make any further mistakes. After all, that’s what quarterbacks are for. “But that’s part of great quarterbacking; it’s knowing when can I be aggressive and when should I not,” Riley once said. Now it will be more difficult for Maiava to hold himself back.
After all, he enters a competitive quarterback room. One that features hungry newcomers—five-star freshman Husan Longstreet and Utah transfer Sam Huard, another former five-star talent. The Trojans HC dropped a major update on Longstreet, too.
Lincoln Riley lauds Longstreet’s early leap
Longstreet walked into the Trojans squad with a lot of hype. Why wouldn’t he? After all, he has been a five-star quarterback addition to Riley’s squad. Besides, he carried with him the tag of being a former Texas A&M commit. Now that the HC sees him spinning the football and getting acclimated to the new surroundings, it has really touched Riley’s heart. So, while talking about him, he did raise an alarm for the other programs to stay away from him.
“Husan is further ahead than most freshmen at this time.” The fact that Longstreet did not wait for the season to end and enrolled early means that he has been exposed to Las Vegas Bowl meetings and practices. So, he is no longer a novice. Now, what’s the USP of Riley’s 5-star QB?
“He did a great job taking advantage of being a local guy and he was here for as much as the rules would allow. He came to a lot of meetings, a lot of practices on his own time and on his own dime. And that’s paid off because he’s way further ahead than most guys at this stage. His ability to communicate and manage the group right now as a young guy is pretty impressive.”
That’s something praiseworthy. After all, Longstreet will be playing behind returning starter Jayden Maiava in the upcoming season. Then too, the fact that he puts in so much effort and prepares himself so seriously, sets a good example for his mates. Could this be the QB revival Lincoln Riley needs to reclaim his magic in 2025?
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