USC quarterback Jayden Maiava has moved into the Top 15 for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, a recognition that puts his season production and broader profile under the same spotlight.
The award honors quarterbacks who stand out on the field and away from it. It is presented by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation with presenting partner A.
O. Smith Corporation, and the Foundation says its mission is to promote football while building strong character, citizenship and academic commitment among young athletes.
Maiava’s numbers explain why he’s on the list. He leads the Big Ten in passing yards with 1,744, passing touchdowns with 15 and points responsible for with 104. In six games, he has produced 17 total touchdowns, including 15 through the air and two on the ground, while throwing just three interceptions.
His first six games also stack up well against some of the biggest names in USC history. Through that same point in their Heisman Trophy-winning seasons, Maiava has more passing yards and more passing touchdowns than Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Caleb Williams. His 68.6 completion percentage and 168.1 passing efficiency rating are the best of that group, and his 15 passing touchdowns are one more than Williams and Leinart had in their first six games and six more than Palmer.
There’s efficiency behind the volume, too. Maiava ranks No. 2 on USC’s career list in yards per attempt at 8.7 among players with at least 500 attempts at USC. Caleb Williams is first at 9.2, followed by Matt Leinart at 8.6 and Sam Darnold at 8.5.
He also sits 10th on USC’s career total offense leaderboard with 6,854 yards of offense as a Trojan. On the single-season side, he ranks 13th on USC’s passing list with 265 completions in the 2025 season.
Maiava’s recognition doesn’t stop there. He has also been placed on the Maxwell Award Watch List, 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 one of 12 players from the Big Ten Conference named to the 2026 Big Ten Football Preseason Honors list.
His work away from the field has brought more attention, as well. Maiava was named a nominee for the Jason Witt en 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.
USC has had three players win the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award: Rodney Peete in 1988, Carson Palmer in 2022 and Matt Leinart in 2005.
The selection committee will keep trimming the field in the coming weeks before finalists are chosen and one quarterback is named the 2026 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award recipient. The winner will be honored at the annual ceremony in Baltimore on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
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