LOS ANGELES — USC quarterback Jayden Maiava has been reading more, meditating more and pursuing his quest for more knowledge.
“I’m doing anything I can to be smarter and get more knowledge,” Maiava told reporters, “because knowledge is power.”
His efforts are paying off. Teammates and coaches are taking notice of the redshirt junior’s increased confidence in not just the Trojans’ offense but also the leadership responsibility that comes with being a quarterback.
“You just feel an improved and an elevated level of confidence with the way that he’s going about his business,” quarterbacks coach Luke Huard told reporters after practice on Monday. “He is always one that wants to learn more, wants to gain more knowledge, never satisfied with where he’s at.”
Maiava is the presumed starting quarterback after taking over as the starter for the final four games of last season. His athleticism and quick release have proven innate, and he’s adding on to his intellectual ability.
New head strength and conditioning coach Trumain Carroll recommended “W1nning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness” by performance coach Tim Grover to Maiava, who devoured the book.
“That’s really the biggest thing,” Maiava told reporters. “It’s got Russell Wilson in there and he talks about his experience and it’s something that I can learn from and bring to my teammates and staying neutral and staying grounded, being where my feet are.”
USC has a host of athletic quarterbacks to choose from when it comes time to flesh out a depth chart. Husan Longstreet and Sam Huard are competing for the backup job, but Luke Huard — Sam’s uncle — declined to say if one had an edge after completing the first week of fall training camp.
“We’re not talking anything as far as depth chart or anything,” the coach said. “The awesome thing is all those guys support each other, and they all help each other. It’s a really, really healthy team, and if you want to build a football team — which we are — the quarterback unit’s got to be the same.”
Maiava used his arm and quick feet to record 1,201 passing yards and 45 rushing yards in seven games last season. Husan, a freshman, threw for 1,641 yards and 19 passing touchdowns, then ran for another 494 yards and six touchdowns as a senior at Corona Centennial.
Sam Huard, a redshirt senior and Utah transfer, last played as a junior at Cal Poly in 2023. He brings variety to the group as a pocket passer and went 184-of-303 for 2,247 yards and 18 touchdowns.
“The group that we have, it puts pressure on a defense regardless of whether you design a run for a quarterback or not,” Luke Huard said. “When you have an athletic quarterback that on any given play, if he’s got green grass in front of him, he can stick that foot in the ground and go get a bunch of yards.”
Preseason coaches poll
USC football was in the “others receiving votes” category in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll that was released on Monday morning.
Texas is the top-ranked team and received 28 first-place votes. Ohio State, the defending national champion, is No. 2 with 20 votes and Penn State is third with 14 votes.
Texas is led by quarterback Arch manning, who is the early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy Award according to the DraftKings sports book.
Six Big Ten teams were included in the top 25: Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.
Awards watch
Three USC football players have earned recognition on watch lists.
Linebacker Eric Gentry was named to the 2025 Butkus Award List after a 2024 season that included 33 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in five games. The Butkus Award is given to the nation’s top college linebacker.
Another linebacker, Anthony Beavers Jr., is on the 2025 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and could be recognized for his community service combined with on-field performance. Beavers is an advocate for high education and hosted a philanthropic event at USC over the summer that hosts 75 first-through-fifth graders from LAUSD after school program, LA’s BEST.
Kicker Caden Chittenden has a spot on the 2025 Lou Groza Place-Kicker Award Watch List. The UNLV transfer made 26 field goals last year, which tied him for first out of all returning FBS kickers.