The USC Trojans open spring practice on Tuesday, March 25 and all eyes will be on the team's quarterback competition between redshirt junior Jayden Maiava and early enrollee five-star Husan Longstreet. USC coach Lincoln Riley addressed it on Monday.
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The USC Trojans are set to begin spring practice on Tuesday, March 25. With plenty of roster turnover, the Trojans will have several position battles to monitor over the next 15 practices, including one at quarterback between redshirt junior Jayden Maiava and five-star early enrollee Husan Longstreet, the crown jewel of the USC’s 2025 recruiting class.
USC coach Lincoln Riley addressed the upcoming quarterback battle when he appeared on “Trojans Live” Monday afternoon.
Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley greets quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) after scoring a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
“The competition piece, number one is just make sure you always have it,” Riley said. “No matter who comes back or however you do it there always has to be competition and there will be a competition this spring, no question."
“Now does Jayden come in a step ahead in experience and all that of the other guys in the room? Of course he does. But the best guy is going to play and that’s to me number one and that should always be the case. And we should always have a really good quarterback room here at USC, so you want that competition and you want guys that are not afraid of it," Riley continued.
Maiava replaced Miller Moss following a week 10 loss to Washington that dropped the Trojans to 4-5 and in danger of missing out on bowl game. The UNLV transfer stepped in and lead USC to back-to-back wins, including one over their crosstown rival UCLA. He orchestrated a game-winning drive in the final seconds of regulation against Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl and finished 3-1 as a starter. Maiava accounted for 15 touchdowns in those four starts.
The Hawaii native played a lot of good football in the final month of the season, but it was also filled with plenty of head scratching moments. He turned the ball over twice against Nebraska and his two pick-sixes in the final minutes against Notre Dame in the regular season finale sealed the Trojans fate. Maiava threw four touchdowns against the Aggies, including the game-winner, but a big reason why they fell behind by three scores was his three interceptions.
The Trojans signal-caller has a ton of raw talent. He possesses great size and a cannon for arm. Maiava is a good athlete at the quarterback position, something that has proven to be important in Riley’s offense.
“I think there’s a lot of next steps for him,” Riley said. “He did a lot of great things for us in his four starts last year. Made a lot of plays for us, we were 3-1 when he played and gave us a chance to win all four of them. I think the big things for him are going to be continuing to find his voice as a leader because he does have some natural leadership skills I think that are really there.
“Continuing to learn our offense better. I think the big thing is eliminating those one or two big negative plays a game because if you can eliminate those from his starts I mean the guy played off the charts. But that’s part of great quarterbacking is knowing when can I be aggressive, when not," said Riley.
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Riley and quarterbacks coach Luke Huard made a strong push for Longstreet last fall, who was commitment to Texas A&M. They were able to flip the highly touted local quarterback just weeks before the early national signing period.
While Maiava is the favorite to win the job, Longstreet will certainly push him during the spring period and into fall camp. Longstreet is a natural competitor. Last summer, he competed at the Elite 11, a rigorous three-day competition that features the top quarterbacks in the country, while battling a significant foot injury. Longstreet still finished third at the event.
Centennial Huskies Quarterback Husan Longstreet (4) prepares to pass the ball at Liberty High School on Sept. 21, 2024, in Peoria. / Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The five-star quarterback shined all week during the Polynesian bowl practice in Hawaii early this year. Longstreet showed off his tremendous arm strength when he launched a ball 78 yards to win the long ball challenge. He then proceeded to throw four touchdowns in the game and bring home co-MVP honors.
Longstreet is a natural fit in Riley’s offense. He athleticism and arm talent align with successful quarterbacks that have excelled in this offense in the past.
Maiava and Longstreet are both soft spoken individuals but are natural born leaders that always put the team. They will certainly push each other every day to be better. Even when a starter is eventually named, most likely not until fall camp, the competition will continue into the regular season.
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Published Mar 25, 2025|Modified Mar 25, 2025