When Jayden Maiava first stepped into the USC spotlight last November, it wasn’t exactly a storybook entrance. The Trojans were reeling, Miller Moss had the locker room’s loyalty, and the UNLV transfer could only get limited games to prove himself. Four games. That’s all he had to do to stake his claim. “That’s a hard thing for anyone to do,” WR Ja’Kobi Lane then said of trusting Maiava over his close friend Moss. But somehow, even through a bumpy start, he showed enough. Enough to earn Lincoln Riley’s continued trust. Enough to keep USC from handing the keys to the offense over to 5-star Husan Longstreet or seasoned lefty Sam Huard. And now, in spring ball, it feels like Jayden Maiava’s show to run. 

If you’re sending a shift, you’re not alone. J.D. PicKell, speaking on On3 on April 4, didn’t mince words—“The big variable for a lot of people I think is what is Jayden Maiava in 2025? They’ve been impressed with him so far this spring. It’s only been a few practices, so we’ll see how this whole things trends.” But here’s the biggest update based on USC’s latest spring practice—“One of the big notes on him is just the comfort level for him overall at USC has just continued to skyrocket.” And he’s not wrong. 

USC’s roster is again loaded—reminiscent of the Pete Carroll days. From top-tier personnel to elite coaching on both sides of the field, the structure is in place. The only question is QB1. But according to the On3 analyst, Jayden Maiava is clicking the right boxes. “With the way the offseason has gone, he’s kind of a more vocal cat,” PicKell said. “He’s kind of taken charge as being the leader of this football team. It’s a very very good sign, also getting more comfortable with the playbook. I think he’s going to be a guy for you here in 2025.” And he has the performance to back up the hype. 

In 2024, Jayden Maiava’s potential was on full display in USC’s win over Notre Dame on March 5. He torched the Irish secondary that hadn’t allowed 300 passing yards all season. But he dropped 360 yards on them like it was business as usual. And this isn’t a QB who just happened to be in the building. Lincoln Riley went out to pull the 6’4, 220-pounder out of the portal himself. That says a lot. And now, with a full year under the system and Moss gone to Louisville, both sides might be reaping the rewards. But as much as the HC believes in him, what’s even clearer this offseason is how he’s reshaping the offense around him. 

Lincoln Riley creates a blueprint for Jayden Maiava in 2025

Size, physicality, and depth. That’s the new recruiting blueprint for USC spearheaded by Lincoln Riley. “You definitely feel (the impact),” he said, speaking of the massive sized portal transfers after the Trojans’ fifth spring practice. “Especially the competitive periods, especially when you start running the football against that front, you do, like the gaps and the h— when you play really big teams and really strong teams everything’s smaller, right?” 

Lincoln Riley’s done with getting pushed around in the trenches, and his roster now reflects that. “Like literally space is just taken up and you kind of feel that right now with out guys, and it’s a real battle at the line of scrimmage,” he said. “And I think just the depth of that. It’s not just one guys here or there. I mean, collectively, it’s like this guy, then that guy, then that guy, we can roll multiple dudes in there and you continue to feel the same thing.” Notable additions include OTs 6’4, 295-pound Alex Payne; 6’8, 291-lbs Aaron Dunn; and 6’8, 362-pounder Elijah Vaikona. 

USC finally has the size. It finally has the structure. And now, with Jayden Maiava growing into the role Lincoln Riley envisioned for him, it just might have the QB too.