The USC offense is drawing serious national respect heading into 2026, and one college football voice has it slotted among the elite.
J.D. PicKell put the Trojans at No. 5 in his top 10 offenses for the 2026 season, placing USC behind only Miami, Oregon, Ohio State, and Texas.
The case for USC starts with continuity. Jayden Maiava is back as the starting quarterback, giving the Trojans a year-three quarterback in the system and a second season running the offense as the starter. Up front, USC brings back most of its offensive line, and the backfield returns two proven options in King Miller and Waymond Jordan.
“You have a year three quarterback in the system. Year two as the starter in Jayden Maiava.
You bring back the whole gang up front on the offensive line. You have not one, but two proven studs in that running back room in King Miller and Waymond Jordan,” PicKell said.
“This team averaged 35 points per game and it’s mostly the same cast of characters.”
That kind of production is exactly why USC landed so high on the list. The Trojans averaged 35 points per game last season, and much of the core that produced that number is still in place.
Maiava’s decision to return to Los Angeles gave USC a major boost this offseason. Instead of entering the 2026 NFL Draft, he chose another year in college.
In 2025, he threw for 3,711 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, helped USC finish 9-3 in the regular season, and guided the Trojans to an Alamo Bowl appearance. He was also named Third-team All-Big Ten.
The running game should have plenty of punch as well. Jordan opened last season as USC’s lead back and handled the first six games before a season-ending injury in mid-October. He finished with 576 rushing yards, five touchdowns, and a 6.5 yards-per-carry average, and now gets a chance to resume that momentum.
Miller was one of the biggest surprises on the roster. The walk-on stepped in after Jordan went down and after backup Eli Sanders was injured, then delivered a big season of his own.
Miller rushed for 972 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He also added 16 catches for 111 yards.
The one area where USC has to replace major production is receiver. Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane were the Trojans’ top two targets over the past two seasons, and both are now in the 2026 NFL Draft. Lemon also won the 2025 Biletnikoff Award.
Even with those departures, USC still has a name to watch in sophomore Tanook Hines. As a freshman in 2025, he ranked third on the team in receiving with 34 catches for 561 yards and two touchdowns. The question now is whether he can step into the lead role and become Maiava’s top option.
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