USC quarterback Jayden Maiava is officially in the mix for one of college football’s top individual honors.
Maiava was selected to the Davey O’Brien Class of 2026, joining a national group of 30 players now in contention for the 2026 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. The award goes to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award.
On the field, Maiava has put together a strong first nine games. He leads the Big Ten in completions per game at 22.0, passing touchdowns with 20 and passing yards with 2,524. Through nine games, he has accounted for 22 touchdowns, throwing 20 and rushing for 2, while throwing just 5 interceptions.
His start also stacks up well against some of the biggest names in USC quarterback history. Through nine games, Maiava’s 66.9 completion percentage is the best in that group, and his 20 passing touchdowns trail Caleb Williams by 8, Carson Palmer by 2 and match the total Matt Leinart posted in his own nine-game start.
Maiava has also been efficient with the football. He is tied for second among USC career leaders in yards per attempt at 8.6, minimum 500 attempts at USC. Caleb Williams is first at 9.2, while Matt Leinart is tied with Maiava at 8.6 and Sam Darnold is third at 8.5.
He currently ranks eighth on USC’s career total offense leaderboard with 7,568 total yards of offense as a Trojan. Maiava also sits 13th on USC’s single-season passing leaderboard with 265 completions in the 2025 season.
The honors keep piling up, too. Maiava has been named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top 10, is a Maxwell Award semifinalist, and is on the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Watch List, the Davey O’Brien Award Watch List and the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List. He was also one of 12 players from the Big Ten Conference named to the 2026 Big Ten Football Preseason Honors list.
Off the field, Maiava has also been recognized for his work beyond football. He was named a nominee for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, the Allstate AFCA Goodworks Team and the Wuerffel Trophy watch list for his commitment to community service and leadership beyond the gridiron.
The next round of the Davey O’Brien process comes on Tuesday, Nov. 17, when semifinalists from the QB Class will be announced. The Foundation will reveal the three finalists the following week, on Tuesday, Nov.
- The 2026 Davey O’Brien Award winner will be announced live on ESPN on Friday, Dec. 11, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.
The 50th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner is set for Monday, March 8, 2027, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
In Other News...
USCs New Backcourt Delivered But Early Warning Signs Are Already There
USC got the kind of backcourt burst it was hoping for in the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic, where guards Alijah Arenas and Rodney Rice each turned in career nights in a win over Wichita State. Arenas scored 30 and Rice added 32, giving the Trojans a dynamic one-two punch that carried much of the offense while Eric Musselmans group showed the kind of aggression he has been pushing since taking over.
Even with those standout performances, the game also offered a reminder that this team is still sorting out its identity. USC had trouble from three-point range but stayed afloat by hitting 88 percent of its free throws, and KJ Lewis again showed why his defensive presence matters even as foul trouble limited him late. The Trojans have firepower, but the early signs suggest Musselman still has a few things to clean up before this backcourt can fully settle in. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces Early Road Test That Could Prove This Start Is Real
USC gets an early chance to show its strong start is more than a good opening note when it heads to Haas Pavilion on Nov. 11 to face California on ESPN2. The No. 21 Trojans have already banked a neutral-site win over Wichita State, and they did it with a burst of offense from Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas, whose career-best scoring night helped set the tone for a promising first stretch.
Now comes the kind of road test that can sharpen a young season in a hurry, especially before USC settles into a three-game homestand. California will provide a different setting and a different kind of pressure, and for a team trying to establish itself early, this is the sort of game that can either reinforce the buzz or expose how much work still remains. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces A Big Ten Test That Could Change Everything
With Indiana coming to Los Angeles, USC is staring at one of those midseason Big Ten games that can reshape how the rest of the conference is viewed. The matchup matters well beyond the Trojans, because the league has already started sorting itself into winners, rebound candidates and teams trying to keep their footing, with Oregon suddenly back in the College Football Playoff conversation and UCLA getting a lift from backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach.
For USC, the stakes are tied to more than one Saturday. A strong showing would help the Trojans strengthen their place in a conference that has already produced plenty of volatility, while a stumble would add to the pressure on a league race that has coaches like Matt Rhule and Kyle Whittingham facing uncomfortable questions about where things are headed. Indiana may be the next opponent, but the larger backdrop is a Big Ten season that still feels wide open, and USC has a chance to make itself part of the story in a major way. [Read more 🡒]