Tag: Jayden Maiava

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava explains why he flipped from Georgia

Highly-rated transfer quarterback Jayden Maiava explains why he flipped to USC from Georgia this winter

Highly-touted UNLV transfer quarterback Jayden Maiava originally committed to transferring to Georgia. However, not long after committing to the Bulldogs, Maiava had a change of heart and flipped to the USC Trojans.

After a spring practice, Maiava explained why he committed to USC so soon after being committed to Georgia.

“I wanted to play under Lincoln Riley. The things that he’s done, the accomplishments that he has underneath his belt and being able to go out there and compete against the best…(Coach Riley is) just such a great dude. I mean, sitting in the film room, the knowledge that he has. It’s amazing,” said Maiava.

Maiava’s decommitment left Georgia thin at quarterback behind returning starter Carson Beck. The Bulldogs have Gunner Stockton as Beck’s back-up and just one other scholarship quarterback in four-star freshman Ryan Puglisi.

It is hard to blame Jayden Maiava for transferring to USC because of Lincoln Riley’s excellent track record of developing quarterbacks. Riley weighed in on Maiava’s decision to commit to USC shortly after making a verbal pledge with Georgia.

“I think he just decided this is really where he wanted to be. The recruiting process can be tough on guys. Emotions and all that can really play a factor and I think it probably did for him a little bit. And especially for transfers, where it happens so quickly,” said Riley.

Maiava is expected to be a back-up quarterback at USC, but has the upside to be the Trojans’ quarterback of the future. Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs may have to turn to the transfer portal in order to add another quarterback after spring practice.

Lincoln Riley is playing chess with Miller Moss and Jayden Maiava at USC

Lincoln Riley has a quarterback competition at USC, but he structured it very intentionally and carefully.

The USC Trojans have a quarterback comepetition in the spring between Miller Moss and Jayden Maiava. That’s not our opinion. That’s not any commentator’s attempt to create controversy or manufacture drama That’s Lincoln Riley’s stated plan. However, while Riley has been up front in saying this is a genuine competition, we can look beneath the surface and identify a few layers to what Riley is thinking and doing.

We noted this point:

“Lincoln Riley said last week that he did not want a portal quarterback who was older. That quarterback obviously would have come to USC expecting to start. Otherwise, such a quarterback would not have transferred to the program. This is why Will Howard never did transfer to USC. An upperclassman would have reasonably expected to start for the Trojans. Riley didn’t want that because he wanted Miller Moss to have a chance to be the guy, but Riley did want a quarterback competition. He wanted Moss to have reasonable odds of becoming the starter instead of putting an established veteran above him.”

This is such an important point in the context of this “competition.” It is a competition, but Riley wanted the competition to be something Moss could reasonably handle. If Will Howard or another older quarterback came to USC, that quarterback would expect to start, period. Bringing in Maiava as a younger quarterback makes Moss the preferred candidate for the Week 1 start against LSU.

Put it this way: It’s still a real competition, but Maiava would have to absolutely blow out Moss — greatly exceeding him — in order to take the QB1 spot. If it’s remotely close or there’s any uncertainty at all, Moss gets the nod. Riley wanted it this way. Moss is still extremely likely to be the guy, even though it’s a legitimate competition. The contours of the competition are what you need to pay attention to.

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No USC fans should be worried about Miller Moss-Jayden Maiava spring QB battle

USC fans, you don’t have to be concerned about this QB competition in the spring. Truly.

The spring football portion of the USC offseason contains many storylines. One of the bigger ones is the competition at the quarterback spot between Miller Moss and Jayden Maiava.

We wrote about this earlier:

“Most USC fans, if you ask them, would say that Miller Moss has already earned the starting job for the 2024 season and that crucial season-opening game against LSU in Las Vegas on Labor Day weekend. What will be interesting to see is if Riley will be willing to elevate Maiava to the starting job or if this “competition” is really just a way of making sure Miller Moss earns QB1 status without having it given to him before spring ball even begins.”

No one at USC should be worried about this battle. Why? Miller Moss getting competition is a way of keeping him sharp and hungry. Giving him the job right now might create a sense of entitlement. Lincoln Riley wants to make sure Moss remains on his game. It’s a good way to motivate a player and improve the odds of accountability and responsibility existing at the quarterback position. There’s really no harm in having Miller Moss work a little more to earn this job. Pete Carroll famously said, “Always compete!” This is a Carroll-like move by Riley to have a real quarterback competition.

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Miller Moss-Jayden Maiava spring ball QB battle contains layers at USC

This is a point of obvious interest to every USC football fan:

There will be a quarterback battle at USC football this spring. Lincoln Riley isn’t automatically or immediately giving Miller Moss the starting job. Moss will have to earn the job in a competition with Jayden Maiava, the underclassman from UNLV who transferred to the Trojans this offseason.

Most USC fans, if you ask them, would say that Miller Moss has already earned the starting job for the 2024 season and that crucial season-opening game against LSU in Las Vegas on Labor Day weekend. What will be interesting to see is if Riley will be willing to elevate Maiava to the starting job or if this “competition” is really just a way of making sure Miller Moss earns QB1 status without having it given to him before spring ball even begins.

Let’s discuss the elements of this situation in depth:

USC commit Julian Lewis announces he will be a spring enrollee in 2025

USC could have a spring QB battle in 2024. It will have one in 2025.

Julian Lewis, previously the top-ranked quarterback prospect in the 2026 class, made a significant announcement earlier this week. He revealed that he would reclassify to the 2025 class. Lewis confirmed speculation when he more recently announced that he would not only sign a year earlier but also become an early enrollee. This move has set the stage for a captivating quarterback battle at USC.

Entering the 2024 spring season, USC is placing its bets on redshirt junior Miller Moss as the presumed frontrunner to lead the Trojans as the starting quarterback in 2024. The general consensus is that Moss solidified his position as QB1 for the fall after delivering a masterful performance in the Holiday Bowl. He completed 23 out of 33 passes for an impressive 372 yards and six touchdowns against a formidable Louisville defense. Lincoln Riley’s postgame statement further solidified Moss’s standing, hinting that his skills may have dissuaded potential transfers from coming to Los Angeles.

Despite Riley’s assertion, Jayden Maiava, the celebrated Mountain West Freshman of the Year, decided to commit to the Trojans. Maiava’s heroics began when he came off the bench early in the season, leading the UNLV Rebels on a remarkable comeback against the Vanderbilt Commodores, overcoming a 17-point deficit in Week 3. From then on, there was no looking back for Maiava. With him as the starting quarterback, UNLV achieved a 7-2 record, earning him Second Team All-Mountain West honors. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, he stands tall in the pocket with a big arm. He’s also athletic. He shows the ability to keep the ball and run with power and speed.

While Moss is technically eligible in 2025, he will probably move on to the NFL following the 2024 season. This creates an opportunity for a traditional quarterback competition between Maiava and Lewis in the spring of 2025.

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USC line play lags behind Oregon, but its QB situation is in a good place again

In a two-team comparison, USC is still behind Oregon, but at least the QB room has been upgraded.

The USC Trojans are not as good as the Oregon Ducks right now. Let’s be real and honest about that point. Oregon has been significantly better in recruiting and moderately better in the transfer portal. Dillon Gabriel is a better QB1 than Miller Moss, though Moss obviously showed he can be very, very good in the Holiday Bowl.

Oregon is better than USC primarily because it has better line play (Josh Conerly) and more depth. USC has to make up the gap in that regard, which is why the upcoming spring transfer portal window is so important. USC will need a few splashes in the spring to gain ground on the Ducks and shore up the defensive line for 2024 in the Big Ten.

There is one realm in which USC has fundamentally caught up with Oregon, however: the quarterback room. Oregon has Dillon Gabriel for 2024 and Dante Moore (the UCLA transfer) for 2025. USC needed to stack its quarterback room in the same way, establishing both a 2024 and 2025 quarterback. USC has Miller Moss as the 2024 quarterback and Jayden Maiava for 2025.

Notably, Julian Lewis reclassified for 2025 from 2026. If he’s good enough, maybe he can overtake Maiava in 2025, but the bigger point is that USC has that position accounted for in a manner similar to what Oregon has achieved.

We discussed this and a lot more with Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football:

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USC fans are thrilled to have Jayden Maiava as the backup QB to Miller Moss

USC filled a position of need and likely found its quarterback for 2025. Trojan fans are excited — they should be!

The USC Trojans struck out on a number of quarterbacks in the transfer portal and saw Malachi Nelson leave to go to Boise State.

Then, UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava committed to Georgia, and everything looked lost at the position for USC.

That is, until Tuesday night when reports surfaced that Maiava had flipped to USC in a stunning turn of events.

All of a sudden, Maiava goes from Georgia to USC, and now Lincoln Riley has a backup quarterback behind Miller Moss. He could also turn this into a competition alongside Moss, but the ideal scenario is to have Moss lead the offense in 2024 and have Maiava ready to take over in 2025.

USC fans couldn’t believe it, especially after Maiava had just announced his decision to go to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Let’s look at some of these reactions:

QB Jayden Maiava decommits from Georgia after one day commitment

Highly coveted transfer quarterback Jayden Maiava flips his transfer commitment from the Georgia Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs have lost their commitment from transfer QB Jayden Maiava as he flipped from Georgia to the USC Trojans. Maiava was only a Bulldog for a day as he is now heading for Southern California

Maiava, who is ranked as a four-star transfer, just finished his redshirt freshman season. He was slated to compete for the second string quarterback against Gunner Stockton.

Maiava was supposed to be the fourth scholarship quarterback on Georgia’s roster. Now, Georgia football will have to look elsewhere. The former three-star recruit helped UNLV go 8-5 in 2023. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback passed for 3,085 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions last season. Maiava also added 277 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Jayden Maiava has an intriguing combination of arm strength and starting experience. The USC transfer commitment is ranked as the No. 120 player in the transfer portal and the No. 18 quarterback, per 247Sports.

The Bulldogs could still work on recruiting Maiava back to Athens or they could add a different name from the transfer portal. The Bulldogs, who lost Brock Vandagriff to the portal, look like they want to add at least one more experienced quarterback.

Either way, the starting quarterback for the 2024 season is Carson Beck and anyone that comes to Georgia will be behind him. Gunner Stockton, Ryan Puglisi, and Colter Ginn will all compete for playing time underneath Beck. One of those guys could see playing time soon as Beck is a senior and will likely enter the NFL draft after this season. Georgia is still looking to figure out its quarterback situation for the 2025 season.

The Jayden Maiava story took two wild turns in roughly 24 hours, but USC won in the end

This was a bumpy ride, but USC ultimately got what it badly needed in the transfer portal.

This was a rollercoaster ride. On Monday night, former UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava was seemingly transferring to Georgia in a slightly unexpected get for the Dawgs over the USC Trojans. A mere 24 hours later, he changed his mind and decided to go to Los Angeles to join Lincoln Riley.

As a redshirt freshman this past season at UNLV, Maiava threw for 3,085 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also ran for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns as well, leading UNLV to a 9-5 record. The signal-caller is listed at 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds.

Maiava is from Honolulu, Hawaii. He has three years of eligibility left, so when Georgia got him on Monday, it seemed the Dawgs had found a significant measure of added quarterback depth. USC pushed to try and land Maiava’s services this offseason. On Monday, it seemed USC had failed. One night later, everything changed.

Georgia senior quarterback Carson Beck will be back next season. He will be the starter for the 2024 campaign. In his first year as a starter, Beck threw for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns. He’ll look to build off that season while also taking on a bigger leadership role.

The Bulldogs will also have Junior Gunner Stockton and true freshman Ryan Puglisi in the mix. However, Maiava gave them their most likely 2025 quarterback. Now it’s USC which will have Maiava as the likely starter for 2025. Lincoln Riley was able to convince Maiava to learn about the game at USC, not Georgia, and to wait his turn behind Miller Moss, not Carson Beck.

USC previously had only one scholarship quarterback on the roster, Miller Moss. Now the Trojans have depth and a legitimate option should anything happen to Moss in 2024. Everyone at USC can breathe a sigh of relief.

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USC stuns the college football world by flipping Georgia commit Jayden Maiava

USC gets the second quarterback it needed, and it now has its likely QB for 2025 as well. Big move.

The USC Trojans missed out on a number of quarterbacks in the transfer portal, most notably Will Howard, who decided to go to Ohio State.

Then, UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava decided to go to Georgia and be the heir apparent to Carson Beck. However, late on Tuesday night in a stunning turn of events, reports emerged that Maiava flipped his commitment from Georgia to USC, per Greg Biggins of 247Sports.

It’s quite a newsworthy decision. Maiava just finished his freshman year as the QB for UNLV. He threw for 2,794 yards with 14 touchdowns. The Las Vegas native now is reportedly going from UNLV to Georgia to USC in a swift turn of events.

Maiava going from Georgia to USC in a matter of days shows how quickly things can change in the transfer portal.

For now, Lincoln Riley has a new quarterback to potentially compete with Holiday Bowl hero Miller Moss. At the very least, USC has two quarterbacks in the room for 2024, and Maiava could be the 2025 quarterback if we assume Moss will be the starter for 2024. This is how USC needed to stack the quarterback room.

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