Tag: Miller Moss

Miller Moss prepares for his next chapter with transfer to Louisville

Miller Moss is heading to Louisville, the team he torched at USC in the 2023 Holiday Bowl. Moss gets Jeff Brohm as his coach and play-caller. Good move.

Miller Moss, as loyal a USC Trojan as you will find, realized he would not be the starting quarterback for USC football in 2025. He also realized he would not be picked in the NFL draft had he entered. There was no real choice for Moss. He entered the transfer portal and needed a place to play in 2025. He has made his choice: He will go to Louisville.

Moss had some really good moments for USC in 2024. The LSU, Wisconsin, and Penn State games were superb. Moss showed that when he gets a clean pocket, he can make the right throws and fit the ball into narrow windows. The problem for Moss was that when pressured, he sometimes panicked and was vulnerable to the immediate telegraphed throw, particularly on out routes. That led to crucial interceptions at multiple points in his season.

Moss got worse, not better, with ball security, throwing three interceptions at Washington. That led to his benching in favor of Jayden Maiava, who impressed in the latter games of the season, especially versus Notre Dame.

Miller Moss, a deeply thoughtful person who has valued his USC education and could become a coach or television analyst after his playing days are over (it wouldn’t surprise us, let’s put it that way), waited multiple years behind Caleb Williams to get his chance to start for USC in 2024. So many other players would have bailed on the Trojans (or any other program) in an equivalent situation. Moss loved being a Trojan. Now he has to make the most of a final chance to build a football-playing career. We’re all pulling for him as he heads to Louisville, where Jeff Brohm — in the same tier with Lincoln Riley as an offensive play designer — can do great things with Moss, provided that the UL offensive line performs well.

Brohm obviously was impressed by Moss — how could he not be? — when Moss threw six touchdown passes versus Louisville in the 2023 Holiday Bowl. If Moss lights it up for Louisville in 2025, that Holiday Bowl will continue to be the gift which keeps on giving for Miller Moss.

Best of luck, Miller! Go get ’em in Louisville!

Lincoln Riley knows he needs to make the USC QB room better in 2025

Lincoln Riley is mapping out his plan for the 2025 quarterback room at USC, but the one thing which matters should be obvious to anyone paying attention.

USC football and Lincoln Riley are in an interesting spot at the quarterback position heading into 2025. Miller Moss, who started the first nine games of the season for the Trojans, announced his plans to enter the transfer portal earlier this week. With third stringer Jake Jensen also planning to transfer, USC has just one scholarship quarterback set to return next season: Jayden Maiava.

Maiava, who transferred to USC from UNLV ahead of the 2024 season, started the final three games of the regular season for the Trojans. He will presumably start USC’s bowl game as well, and will return as a redshirt junior next fall.

The Trojans also just signed Husan Longstreet, a five-star quarterback in the class of 2025. Longstreet will enroll a semester early at USC, and begin practicing with the Trojans leading up to the bowl game. He will look to compete for playing time as a true freshman in the fall.

With just two scholarship quarterbacks currently on the roster heading into the spring, USC will need to add depth at the position. On Wednesday, Riley confirmed that USC will look to add a player in the transfer portal at the position.

However, Riley also expressed confidence in the two quarterbacks currently on the roster. Based on the sound of his comments, it seems as though USC will look to add a depth piece at the position, rather than a high-profile commodity.

“We obviously have a ton of confidence in both [Maiava] and Husan,” Riley said. “We’re gonna put a lot of emphasis, a lot of reps, a lot of time into those two guys.”

While Maiava should seemingly be the front runner to win the job, USC’s quarterback competition will certainly be an interesting story to follow when spring practice rolls around.

Auburn named a potential landing spot for former USC quarterback Miller Moss

ESPN’s Max Olson believes Auburn has weapons that will allow Moss to succeed.

Auburn football has two young quarterbacks with bright futures in [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] and [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag]. However, following the departure of two-year starter [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], Auburn will need a “bridge year” to allow both quarterbacks to another season to develop.

Because of this, it is expected that head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] will look to fill the void by using the transfer portal. Several key names have declared their intention to enter the portal, including Washington State’s [autotag]John Mateer[/autotag] and Oklahoma’s [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]. Ahead of the portal’s official opening on Dec. 9, ESPN’s Max Olson feels that one portal addition could fit in well at Auburn.

Olson suggests Auburn would be a great fit for former USC quarterback [autotag]Miller Moss[/autotag]. Moss, who has one season of eligibility remaining, passed for over 2,500 yards as a junior in Los Angeles last season and could find success by throwing to Auburn’s many targets at wide receiver.

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze knows he needs to go get a transfer QB who can take the Tigers to the next level in 2025. Auburn has a ton of promising young talent to build around, especially at wide receiver, with standout true freshmen Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons and Perry Thompson. Their presence makes Auburn an appealing destination for QBs like Moss, who have one year left and are looking to put up big numbers next season.

Outside of Auburn’s targets, Moss fits the mold by having starting experience and one season of eligibility. Moss took over the starting quarterback role for Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams this season, where he passed for at least 200 yards and one touchdown in nine games played. However, following a tough stretch of games that included a loss to Washington, where he threw three interceptions, USC head coach Lincoln Riley pulled Moss in favor of Jayden Maiava for the final three games.

Moss is looking for a home he deems a “better fit.”

“There comes a point where there’s a time to move on to new opportunities,” Moss said in an interview with ESPN. “And I’m hoping to better myself as a person and a player.”

In four seasons at USC, Moss has completed 65.9% of his passes for 3,469 yards and 27 touchdowns with just ten interceptions. The winter transfer portal window officially opens on Monday, Dec. 9, and will close on Dec. 28.

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Miller Moss’s love for USC went beyond the football field

Miller Moss gave so much of himself to USC as a school, and also to his fellow students as a Trojan. He has been a great ambassador for the university.

On Monday, USC quarterback Miller Moss announced his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal. While USC fans will certainly be sad to see Moss go, the move made sense for both sides from a football standpoint. Moss lost the starting job by the end of the 2024 season, and he wanted to find somewhere he could play for his final season of eligibility—ideally in an offensive system that fits his skill set better than that of Lincoln Riley.

From a personal standpoint, however, this was a much tougher decision for Moss. USC was his dream school as a child, and he grew up admiring Trojan quarterbacks such as Matt Barkley and Cody Kessler. Moss wanted to follow in the line of what USC greats, and that caused him to wait his turn as a backup for three seasons, even when most others in his shoes likely would have transferred.

Moss’s love for USC extended well beyond the football field, however. Having been a student at the same time as Moss, I saw firsthand how much he tried to ingrain himself into the student body. He took challenging classes—remarkably graduating in just 2.5 years—joined organizations, and made friends beyond the football team.

In today’s era of NIL, many college football players feel like mercenaries. They live off-campus in luxury apartments, only show up to campus for classes and practice, and don’t really interact with any students other than their teammates.

Miller Moss was the antithesis of that. In an era where the term student-athlete has largely become a punchline, he truly was a USC student AND an athlete. This was highlighted by the fact that, in his transfer post on social media, he thanked not just his coaches, but also his professors and academic advisors.

Perhaps my favorite Miller Moss story comes from November of 2022, when he was the backup quarterback behind soon-to-be Heisman Trophy-winner Caleb Williams. With the regular season winding down, the Trojans were headed into a massive Crosstown Showdown with longtime foe UCLA. With a victory in the rivalry matchup, the Trojans would advance to the Pac-12 Championship Game, and be in great position to make the College Football Playoff.

The day before the game, one of the sororities on-campus hosted a philanthropy flag football tournament. Even though he had a massive game the next day and was one hard hit to Williams from being thrust into the action, Moss played quarterback for his fraternity in the tournament, leading them to a championship. (In case anyone cares, I also played in the tournament as a wide receiver, but my team lost in the first round.)

Was it a very smart decision for him to play in a philanthropy flag football tournament the day before a massive rivalry game? Probably not.

But if that doesn’t sum up Miller Moss’s relationship with USC, then I don’t know what does. He was a true presence in the Trojan community, and his love for the university went well beyond the football field.

Moss will play his final season of college football elsewhere. But he will forever bleed Cardinal and Gold, and he will always be a Trojan at heart.

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USC QB Miller Moss enters transfer portal, ends potential draft talk (for now)

USC QB Miller Moss enters transfer portal, ends potential draft talk (for now)

Cross Miller Moss off the prospect list for the 2025 NFL Draft, at least for now. The USC quarterback has entered the transfer portal after one season at the helm for the Trojans.

Moss piqued some NFL interest with strong early-season showings against LSU and Michigan but couldn’t keep the momentum going. He struggled badly in a loss to Washington, leading to a QB change. USC pivoted to Jayden Maiava for the last three games, leading Moss to decide to find a new collegiate home after four years in the Trojans program.

A handful of prominent schools have already been mentioned as possible landing spots for the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Moss. What’s not being said anywhere is the potential move of Moss declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.

 

Moss will be removed from the big board until he officially declares. Depending on his next school, expect Moss to be prominent on early-season watch lists for the 2026 NFL Draft even though his time at USC did not end well.

 

Former USC QB reportedly expected to look at Iowa as transfer destination

Former USC quarterback Miller Moss is reportedly expected to look at Iowa as a potential transfer portal destination.

The Iowa Hawkeyes will reportedly be one of the options that former USC quarterback Miller Moss will look at out of the transfer portal.

Per On3’s Pete Nakos, Moss is expected to look at Auburn, Iowa, Michigan and Louisville once he enters the NCAA transfer portal.

Moss told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Monday that he intends to enter the transfer portal and that he is looking for a destination where he can win “at the highest level” and develop for the NFL.

The 6-foot-1, 205 pound quarterback started the first nine games of this season for the USC Trojans, completing 64.4% of his passes for 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns against nine interceptions.

Moss passed for 378 yards and a touchdown in USC’s 27-20 season-opening win over LSU in the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic. The Los Angeles, Calif., native also passed for three touchdowns in Big Ten games against Michigan, Wisconsin and Maryland.

During his four seasons with USC, Moss started 10 games and passed for 3,469 yards and 27 touchdowns, while completing 65.9% of his passes.

In his first career start, Moss capped USC’s 2023 season by throwing for 372 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-28 win over Louisville in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl.

“I really enjoyed my time at USC,” Moss told ESPN. “It was transformative for my life as a whole and for me growing up for the last few years. I’m thankful. I gave that program everything I had.

“There comes a point where there’s a time to move on to new opportunities, and I’m hoping to better myself as a person and a player.”

A Moss match with Iowa would make sense. The Hawkeyes are unsettled at the position heading into the 2025 season and could use a seasoned starter like Moss that would provide a spark in the passing game.

First-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s work with the Hawkeye offense and Phil Parker’s typically-stingy defense could be an attractive option for Moss.

Moss will have one season of eligibility remaining.

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Michigan football expected to be a contender for USC transfer Miller Moss

Yes, please. #GoBlue

Michigan football may be bringing in 2025 five-star quarterback and No. 1 recruit in the class Bryce Underwood, but that doesn’t mean that the Wolverines will put all their hopes on the generational talent right out of the gates.

It’s been an open secret that Michigan will pursue an established quarterback in the transfer portal so that it doesn’t end up in a situation like it did this year. And USC quarterback Miller Moss was revealed to be set to enter the transfer portal when it opens next week.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Moss appears to be interested in the Wolverines, along with Auburn, Iowa, and Louisville.

The USC quarterback transfer will have plenty of options, but the key to Miller Moss’ success in college football is finding a landing spot that gives him space to develop and start. He’s expected to look at Michgan, Auburn and Iowa. He’s not expected to be the Tigers’ top choice. Sources also tell On3 that Louisville will be in the mix to land Moss, who was benched for backup quarterback Jayden Maiava late in the season. Moss will be an attractive name to programs hoping to find a plug-and-play type quarterback. He threw for 2,555 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2024.

2024 marked Moss’ first year as the bona fide starter, but he — as mentioned above — was benched for Jayden Maiava. Moss does have leadership qualities as he was one of the Trojans’ three representatives in Indianapolis for Big Ten media days in July.

USC’s big moment vs UCLA was a pass, but not by the quarterback

The fact that USC used a trick play to beat UCLA shows Lincoln Riley is at his best when he is creative, not predictable. Everyone can agree we haven’t seen enough of that.

For the past few weeks, much of the discussion surrounding USC football has surrounded the quarterback position. The UCLA football rivalry game offered a fascinating plot twist connected to big-play passing for the Trojans.

Following the loss to Washington, head coach Lincoln Riley elected to bench starter Miller Moss in favor of UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava. Through two games, the move has shown mixed results. Maiava has not exactly lit the world on fire, but he has played well enough for the Trojans to defeat both Nebraska and UCLA.

On Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, USC’s biggest play of the game was indeed a pass. It just wasn’t thrown by Maiava.

Midway through the third quarter, the Trojans trailed 13-9, and had not been able to get much going offensively. So Riley decided to pull one out of his bag of tricks.

Facing second down and 4 at the UCLA 43 yard line, Maiava took the snap and threw a backwards screen to wide receiver Makai Lemon. Lemon caught the ball and dropped back to pass himself, delivering a 39-yard dart to Ja’Kobi Lane, setting USC up with first and goal at the UCLA 4.

If the play looked at all familiar to you, that’s likely because the New England Patriots pulled off a similar trick nearly a decade ago in the AFC Divisional Playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens, with former college QB Julian Edelman playing the role of Lemon.

Following Lemon’s big throw, the Trojans punched the ball into the end zone on the next play to take a lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the night.

The play had a huge outcome on USC’s win probability. Prior to Lemon’s double pass, the Trojans had just a 37.6% chance to win the game, per ESPN analytics. After that play, it jumped to 58.6%.

We will never know what would have happened in the game had the trick play not been successful. But given how poorly the Trojans’ offense had looked prior, it was undeniably their most important one of the night.

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Woody Marks continues to show that he is USC’s best offensive player

Woody Marks continues to deliver for USC. In a lost season with so many frustrations and failures, Marks has been a clear shining light for the Trojans.

For the past week, the majority of the attention surrounding USC football has been dedicated to the quarterback position. With head coach Lincoln Riley opting to replace Miller Moss with Jayden Maiava prior to Saturday’s game against Nebraska, Maiava’s play was under a microscope the entire afternoon. On Saturday, however, we were treated to a reminder that the Trojans’ best offensive player is neither Moss, nor Maiava, nor any quarterback. Rather, it is star running back Woody Marks.

Against Nebraska, Marks delivered yet another impressive performance, carrying the ball 19 times for 146 yards. In addition, he caught six passes for 36 yards.

Marks has now gone over 100 yards rushing in six of USC’s ten games this season. On Saturday, he became the first Trojan to record 1,000 rushing yards in a season since Ronald Jones in 2017. (We should point out that Travis Dye was well on his way to surpassing the mark in 2022 prior to suffering a season-ending injury against Colorado with multiple games left in the season.)

Marks’s best play of the day came in the biggest moment. With under six minutes remaining in the game and USC leading 21-20, the Trojans faced a 4th and 1 from the Nebraska 47 yard line.

Marks decided to put the team on his back and take matters into his own hands. He cut through the defense and burst down the sideline for a 34-yard gain, giving the Trojans a first down at the Nebraksa 13 yard-line. Four plays later, USC was in the end zone with a much-needed insurance touchdown that ultimately put the game out of reach.

On paper, that drive will go down as having ended with Maiava touchdown run. But don’t get things twisted: By far the most important play on that drive (and arguably of the game) belonged to Marks.

With the game in the balance, Lincoln Riley put the ball in the hands of his best offensive player. And boy, did he deliver.

Obviously, quarterback is the most important position in not just football, but in all of sports. It is pretty much impossible to win in today’s day and age without a good signal-caller.

But even in today’s era of pass-happy attacks and spread offenses, running backs still matter. As we were reminded on Saturday, the Trojans have a pretty darn good one.

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USC QB coach Luke Huard visits notable recruit Friday night

If Julian Lewis bolts for Indiana or Colorado, getting Husan Longstreet to flip from Texas A&M could prove to be very crucial for USC.

On Friday evening, Jarrett Perez of 247Sports reported that USC football quarterbacks coach Luke Huard was in attendance at Corona Centennial High School, checking out five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet.

Per On3 Consensus’s rankings, Longstreet is the number 23 overall player in the Class of 2025. He is also the number four quarterback and the number two player in the state of California.

Longstreet is currently committed to Texas A&M. Over the past few weeks, however, rumors have begun to fly that he could potentially flip his commitment to USC.

The Trojans have had five-star 2025 quarterback Julian Lewis committed since last year. However, Lewis has taken numerous visits to other schools even after committing to USC, and the general vibe is that there is a good chance he winds up elsewhere.

USC’s quarterback situation for next year is still very much up in the air. The Trojans have just two quarterbacks on their 2024 roster who have thrown a pass at the FBS level: Miller Moss and Jayden Maiava. However, there is a good chance that at least one of the two will transfer this offseason, if not both.

While it will depend on how the last three games go with Maiava replacing Moss as the starter, it is likely that USC will be looking for at least one quarterback in the transfer portal this offseason. While the odds of a true freshman coming in and winning the starting job right away are slim, it is certainly not an impossible scenario given USC’s current status at the position.

College football’s early signing period for high school recruits begins on December 4, less than three weeks away.

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