Jayden Maiava came to the USC Trojans from UNNLV with high hopes. This was a player who had accumulated 3,085 passing yards with 17 touchdowns in the 2023 season and was looking ready to take the next step into Lincoln Riley’s fold. After all, Riley was the head coach who had miraculously turned around a struggling Oklahoma program. And then, sooner or later, was on the way to doing the same at USC. Maiava jumped in quickly to be the leader of the transformation.

The 2024 season started unexpectedly for Maiava, who still had Miller Moss to beat to clinch that elusive QB1 spot. He couldn’t quite do it in 9 games initially and only made occasional appearances. But Riley ultimately got fed up with Moss, as USC suffered 5 defeats in their first 9 games.

Some of those losses were especially hard to swallow, including home overtime defeats to the Maryland Terrapins and Penn State. Maiava stepped in against Nebraska and showed signs that he could be the ‘Alpha’ at USC from that point on.

The Trojans won 3 of the 4 games Maiava started and also won the Bowl game against the Aggies. Maiava finished the season with 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns. But now that the season has ended, and the spring practices are in full swing, Maiava has found another endeavor to show his ‘Alpha’ instincts.

The newly joined WR from Boise State, Prince Strachan, reflected on how Maiava helped him settle and acted continuously as the true leader of the group. “He’s been such a big help. He’s a great leader on and off the field, kudos to Maiava because he really helped me a lot when I first came in, he was one of the first guys,” he said. He’s been a great leader on and off the field, and he’s going to do some big things for sure,” he added. 

Well, there were a lot of questions floating around on the internet and in the media regarding Maiava’s abilities to deliver in the big games. One of the things the critics usually point out is the Notre Dame game that USC lost by 49-35. The game was notable for another reason as Maiava produced 360 passing yards, but, only completed 27 passes amongst 49, he attempted. Moreover, the major problems came when he dropped two pick-sixes. One was taken into the end zone by the Irish safety, Xavier Watts, while the other was scored by cornerback Christian Gray.

However, if Strachan’s statement is taken on its letter and spirit, then it seems Maiava has improved. Since leadership was a major concern, as Greg Katz of On3 said, “Can he get to the point where he is a leader, period? In a lot of things, I don’t know if that’s true.” All in all, it looks like the concerns have finally faded away. The QB now appears ready to secure his QB1 spot and lead USC to a successful season

132 FBS teams on high alert with Lincoln Riley’s recruitment strategy?

We all know that in-state recruiting is something that teams build their foundations on. Brian Kelly jumps on every opportunity to recruit a good Louisiana player. Kirby Smart recruits heavily from Georgia. And Texas Longhorns always reap the talent that the state of Texas has with their high number of talented recruits. However, the same wasn’t said about Lincoln Riley, who largely ignored California and focused pan-country for his recruitment. However, now there’s a continental shift in Riley’s strategy.

April 7th, 247 Sports podcast delved into the in-state recruitment focus Riley is bringing back. Gerald Dixon, an ex-NFL player provided some optimistic details. “We got California on lock, and when you are recruiting at a high level like that and you go out and you hire the GM Chad Bowden, you’re making a statement. Everybody in the recruiting world once heard that Lincoln Riley does not want to recruit California. Shame on us.” He added at last, “He’s going out, and he’s targeting national potential athletes that can come out and ball in California.”

The Trojans head coach is now busy stacking up prospects like it’s an arms race. The 2026 class so far has 21 total commits this early and is ranked 2nd nationally on ON3. Though there isn’t a 5-star prospect in the class yet, it’s clear that Riley has recruited heavily from California.

RJ Sermons holds the No. 3 ranking among cornerbacks, while Brandon Lockhart ranks No. 8 nationally at the same position. There’s also Simote Katoanga, the No. 9 ranked edge rusher, and Deshonne Redeaux, ranked No. 13 among running backs. All these players are from California in a class that is brimming with talent. Now, the question is: How many of them can Riley keep till the end of the class?