USC benches Miller Moss in favor of Jayden Maiava, who will start against Nebraska
With its first season in the Big Ten slipping away, USC is making a change at quarterback.
Sophomore Jayden Maiava will get his first start for USC when the Trojans return from their bye to host Nebraska on Nov. 16, according to a person familiar with the decision but not authorized to speak publicly.
The move relegates Miller Moss to a reserve role after nine uneven starts this season. Since a strong debut in which Moss led USC to a season-opening win over Louisiana State in Las Vegas, the redshirt junior’s performance had notably regressed, marked by costly mistakes, including critical interceptions in recent weeks as USC dropped four of its last five games, all by a single possession.
What the decision means for the redshirt junior moving forward at USC remains to be seen. But with three games remaining in its season — and with bowl eligibility still within reach — USC now turns to Maiava, hoping that his dual threat ability will help spark an offense that has struggled to deliver when it mattered most this season.
Lincoln Riley said he wasn’t considering giving Jayden Maiava reps during the final three games of USC’s season despite starter Miller Moss’ problems.
Moss, a former four-star prospect, had patiently waited for his time at USC over the previous two seasons as a backup to Caleb Williams. He finally got his chance last December at the Holiday Bowl, where he threw for six touchdowns, securing his place as the presumptive starter for the following season. At the time, USC coach Lincoln Riley, who said he would seek a quarterback in the transfer portal, joked that Moss’ performance “may have scared off anybody that would want to come here anyway.”
He delivered again on that promise in his first start this season, as Moss threw for 378 yards and completed 75% of his passes in a season-opening win over LSU. But since the start of the Big Ten slate, Moss has struggled to find his stride.
He’s still thrown for 2,555 yards, third-most among quarterbacks in the Big Ten, and 18 touchdowns, which ranks fourth.
However, as USC has dropped four of its last five, falling further and further out of conference contention, Moss has turned the ball over in critical moments, altering the complexion of each of USC’s five losses. Those struggles culminated last Saturday in rainy Seattle, where Moss threw three interceptions, including one that sparked a go-ahead, fourth-quarter scoring drive for the Huskies.
Still, the coach had remained steadfast in his support of Moss in spite of those mistakes. After the loss to Washington, Riley was asked if he was tempted to give Maiava a chance at quarterback during the final three games of the season. At the time, Riley said that he “wouldn’t say that.”
“For us right now,” Riley said, “what we’re looking at is what’s the best lineup, the best people to help us win every week, and we’re going to keep our focus there.”
But the three days since apparently convinced the coach to change direction.
Maiava would take a much more circuitous route to becoming USC’s starting quarterback than Moss, who’d grown up a diehard Trojan fan and been schooled in the intricacies of the position since he was a young boy. Maiava, meanwhile, bounced between three high schools in two states and didn’t start seeing a private quarterback coach until last summer.
That coach, Ryan Porter, had previously worked with Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels. He told The Times in August that it was only a matter of time before Maiava took off as the Trojans quarterback.
“When Jayden Maiava finally steps foot on that field,” Porter said then, “he ain’t coming off. That I truly believe. He’s gonna be a good one.”
Eric Musselman’s vision for USC men’s basketball will take time to craft, but he won in his Trojans coaching debut — a 77-51 victory over Chattanooga.
While he’s only received limited snaps so far at USC this season, Maiava is no stranger to leading a college offense. He started 14 games last year as quarterback at Nevada Las Vegas, but left an assured starting role to enter the transfer portal after the season. He first committed to Georgia in January, before flipping to USC just two weeks after Moss’ breakout bowl performance.
Moss had, at the time, already staked his claim for the job. But what seemed like a runaway competition between the two quarterbacks through fall camp ended up being “neck and neck” according to Riley. Teammates and coaches alike praised Maiava for making a “major, major jump”.
“He’s got a bright future here,” Riley said. “No doubt about that.”
That future is now starting earlier than the coach planned at USC, with the Trojans desperate for any spark that might stop their disappointing season from snowballing any further.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
