Jayden Maiava reveals biggest reason he chose to return to USC in 2026

The USC Trojans managed to retain starting quarterback Jayden Maiava after the 2025 season. With options to transfer or even go pro, that wasn’t necessarily the easiest thing to do. Still, when Maiava spoke about that choice, he made it sound like an easy decision.

Recently, Maiava explained that it came down to the coaching staff at USC. In particular, he called out head coach Lincoln Riley.

“Coach Riley,” Jayden Maiava said. “Coach Riley. The staff, obviously, too, and my brothers.”

If there has been a consistent strength for Riley in his career, it’s been his ability to develop talented quarterbacks. At USC, that’s included first overall NFL Draft pick, Caleb Williams. Going back to his time at Oklahoma, Riley has coached the likes of Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray, and Baker Mayfield. So, if becoming a top NFL Draft pick is a consideration for Maiava, he knows he can get that coaching under Riley to reach his potential.

Coming out of high school, Jayden Maiava was a relatively overlooked recruit. A three-star recruit in the Class of 2022 out of Kaimuki in Honolulu, Hawaii, he was just the 54th-ranked quarterback in his class. That landed him at UNLV, where he established himself before transferring to USC ahead of the 2024 season.

Since getting to USC, Maiava has had to battle for his time as the starter. In 2024, he would initially back up Miller Moss before winning the starting job later in the year. He’d then have to win the starting job again going into 2025. He did just that and seemed to take a major stride forward.

In 12 games in 2025, Maiava completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 3,431 yards and 23 touchdowns. All of those marks were career highs. He did that against eight interceptions. Then, on the ground, he rushed for 150 yards and another six touchdowns.

Lincoln Riley explains what makes Jayden Maiava a special quarterback

Jayden Maiava has proven to be a special quarterback during his time at USC. Lincoln Riley sees that too. It’s something that Riley believes begins with the mental side for Maiava.

“Jayden has done a really nice job leading our team and leading our offense this year. Certainly one of the most improved players on our roster, grew a lot throughout the offseason, and has done a really nice job here in his second year with us. Just command of the offense, becoming a leader. He’s a guy that can make some plays with his legs as well, and just has really improved,” Riley said.

“And so I’ve been proud of the mentality that he’s brought, the way that he attacks every day, and he’s done a tremendous job of running our offense, so lucky to have him, and excited to prepare these upcoming weeks with him and have a chance to play again.”