Jayden Maiava knows exactly what comes with the USC quarterback job.
It is one of the sport’s most visible stages, and at USC, that spotlight burns even hotter. The program’s history at the position runs through names like Matt Leinart, Sam Darnold and Caleb Williams, and Maiava said in late July at Big Ten Media Days that he has been able to lean on all three.
That connection matters at USC, where the quarterback room is tied to a standard that stretches far beyond one season. Leinart won national titles in 2003 and 2004 and took home the Heisman Trophy in 2004.
Darnold helped deliver a Rose Bowl win in 2016 and a conference championship the next year, then became the first USC quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 2025. Williams added a Heisman in 2022, went No. 1 overall in 2024 and is the only one of the three who played under Lincoln Riley.
Maiava has his own place to chase in that lineage.
“I don't take it lightly. Being the quarterback at USC, I take pride in it,” Maiava said in September. “Just kind of do whatever I can to be placed among the great names that was here before me.“
The timing makes his next stretch even more important. USC comes back on Saturday, Oct. 24 against Wisconsin with the Trojans at 6-1 and in the College Football Playoff conversation. They control their own fate, but the final five games are loaded, with three matchups against AP top-10 teams: Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA.
That gives Maiava a real chance to stamp his own name on the program’s quarterback story, while also giving USC a shot to reshape the national conversation around the Trojans.
He has the resume to handle the moment. Maiava has started nearly 40 career games between UNLV and USC, and he has clearly emerged as the team’s quarterback and leader. What he does from here will carry plenty of weight.
That was on display in USC’s 31-23 win over Penn State on Oct. 10 in Happy Valley. On a road field where the Trojans have had trouble since joining the Big Ten in 2024, they flipped that script in front of a record crowd of 114,419. Maiava was flawless, and USC turned in its best road performance in three years.
Now the question is whether that version of the Trojans shows up again and again.
The next chance arrives against Wisconsin in prime time at 4:30 p.m. PT.
In Other News...
USC Is Chasing A Local Recruiting Win Lincoln Riley Needs
USCs push for the 2028 class already has a local name at the center of it, and CaRon Williams has become one of the early targets worth tracking. The four-star defensive back has drawn attention from a long list of heavy hitters, but the Trojans have a built-in advantage with multiple visits to campus already under his belt, giving Lincoln Riley and his staff a chance to sell him on staying close to home.
For a program trying to build momentum early in that cycle, landing a player like Williams would matter well beyond one commitment. USC currently has just one pledge in the 2028 class, and the Trojans are expected to ramp up their recruiting efforts in the spring of 2027, which makes this a situation to watch as the next stage of the process gets going. [Read more 🡒]
USC Suddenly Has A Big Ten Path Fans Need To See
USCs move into the Big Ten has already changed the way the Trojans are judged, but the league slate still has room for a rivalry twist that would have sounded far-fetched a year ago. With UCLA also in the conference now, the possibility of the two former Pac-12 rivals meeting in the Big Ten Championship Game is no longer just a talking point for nostalgics. It is the kind of path that gives the rest of the season an extra layer of meaning, especially with both programs trying to finish strong and keep themselves in the title chase.
For UCLA, the loss of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava reshapes the equation, while USC is focused on what its own schedule and key contributors can still produce down the stretch. The conference race is tight enough that both teams have to keep stacking wins to stay in range, and the matchup possibilities only get more interesting from there. If the pieces continue to fall a certain way, the Big Ten could end up with a championship game that once belonged only to old conference lore. [Read more 🡒]
Former Utah Star Took A Fresh Shot At USC Before Wisconsin
Before Wisconsin ever lined up across from USC, Dalton Kincaid was already leaning into an old Pac-12 rivalry that never seemed to lose its edge. The former Utah tight end, now with the Buffalo Bills, made his feelings clear on the October 24 edition of ESPN College GameDay, publicly taking a shot at USC and backing the Badgers to pull the upset.
Kincaid pointed back to Utahs history of success against the Trojans, including that 43-42 win in 2022, as part of why he liked Wisconsins chances. It was a pointed pick against a USC team that entered the matchup as a slight favorite, and it added another layer to a game already carrying some extra intrigue. [Read more 🡒]