Jayden Maiava is all set to go full steam ahead at the USC Trojans’ spring practice. After having to step in for a benched Miller Moss, Maiava proved to be playing out in favor of Lincoln Riley and won him the Nebraska game in 2024. But there have been some hurdles in Maiava’s journey that have caused him to falter. Nevertheless, the young quarterback seems hopeful about his game for the 2025 season.

Maiava started as QB after USC had their 4 loss in 5 straight games. Since he stepped onto the field, he helped USC finish their season with a 7-6 record. 3 wins and 1 loss were his contributions to that number, comparatively better than what Moss had (4-5, sheesh). Miller Moss has packed up and moved to Louisville. This leaves the QB spot open, and Maiava has to fight off one key contender to bag it. That will be rookie Husan Longstreet, a 5-star recruit from California. Riley managed to flip him from Texas A&M, making him an absolute steal. In his senior year, Longstreet threw for 1,641 yards and had 19 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. The recruit comes with a dual-threat edge, too.

On March 25, WeareUSC came to spring practice and heard Maiava’s thoughts on the young star. He regards Longstreet in a friendly manner, implying a positive camaraderie between the two. “Great kid. He’s an awesome kid on and off the field,” he said about Longstreet. Maiava noted that he is a rookie but hoped that Longstreet would “give his best.”

When asked how the young contender impresses Maiava on the field, the latter replied, “He’s got a strong arm. He’s definitely a really good football player, so that’s why he’s here.” There’s also been some fun challenges between the two, Maiava said, where both of them were “even.”

But despite their friendly dynamic, there is a battle between them in the QB room. Riley appeared on Trojans Live and weighed in on the debate between the two contenders. “No matter who comes back or however you do it, there always has to be competition, and there will be a competition this spring, no question.” He also gave an advantage to Maiava. “Now does Jayden come in a step ahead in experience and all that of the other guys in the room? Of course, he does. But the best guy is going to play, and that’s to me, number one and that should always be the case.” Maiava has the experience tag on his resume, and it looks good, too. But performance and strategy are all that the race will boil down to.

However, that’s not to say that Maiava doesn’t have areas to work on. As USC enters spring practice, he has to buckle up and improve from his past mistakes. He did turn it around for USC with his short stint last season, but are some flaws also came to light.

Jayden Maiava is working on his past mistakes

There have long been talks about Maiava’s rocky performance and how he needs to better himself for this season. In his first game, he made two silly turnovers and an interception. But he powered through in the later half of the game and brought victory to the Trojans. Against Notre Dame, his one loss, two pick-sixes off of him took the game away from USC.

But the QB has not been sitting around. He’s been reviewing his work relentlessly and trying to improve. WeareUSC asked him about how he had gone about addressing the mistakes made in the Bowl game. “Definitely, the film room, for sure,” Maiava said. He spent “countless hours in there with coaches, [himself], and some other players,” discussing his game.

Maiava also said he’d reviewed his performance in other games of the season. “I was a little, ‘happy feet’ when I got thrown in,” he said. But he says he was “able to go and reflect and have those films and archives” to get a sense of that season. Now, he wants to “come out here and translate that and be better.” The Trojans QB seems to have done his homework and is ready to employ his learnings to lead USC to a better record this year.

But that won’t happen so fast, because Riley is yet to announce his starting QB for the season. Jayden Maiava has to break through the muddled perception of him and establish himself as a steady player for the Trojans. He seems ready to implement everything he’s learned and not repeat those same mistakes in his 2nd season. But, despite him having an edge in the quarterback race, he has to convince Riley that he is the “best guy.”