Will Jayden Maiava and Husan Longstreet remain USC

During each of his last two Decembers at USC, Lincoln Riley confronted a essential choice at quarterback: Pursue a new passer in the portal or trust the one who’s next in line?

In each case, Riley has opted to keep the recognized amount. But as his fourth common season at USC comes to a close Saturday against UCLA, the coach might face a more sophisticated conundrum at the place this offseason.

Run it back with Jayden Maiava, who statistically has been one of the more completed passers in faculty soccer this season? Or flip the web page to electric five-star freshman Husan Longstreet, who may not be keen to wait for much longer for his shot as USC’s beginning quarterback?

It’s a query that has confounded many faculty soccer coaches during the switch portal period, as the notion of a top quarterback prospect patiently ready his flip to be named a starter has change into more and more uncommon. Of the top dozen quarterbacks in the category of 2024, six have already transferred. From 2023, it’s seven of the top 12. From 2022, it’s eight. And of those who do keep, only a handful have been still ready to start as sophomores.

It’s not clear yet if that’ll be the case with Longstreet. But this week, Riley made a clear plea for the younger passer’s persistence when requested about the problem of convincing a top prospect to stick around in a reserve position.

“For any player, especially a quarterback, I don’t know if this would be the right time to leave this place,” Riley said. “This thing is getting pretty good. And I think a lot of people recognize that, both in what we have now and what we’re bringing in, where this thing is going.”

Speaking to Longstreet’s state of affairs, Riley pointed to his observe file with quarterbacks who waited their flip.

“Other than Jalen Hurts, we haven’t had any quarterback that’s come in and was the guy right away,” Riley said. “Every one of them, all the guys that did all the things, they all had that time. And if you ask them now, maybe then they wanted to be playing of course, the competitor in them. But if you ask them now, they’re all damn happy they had time and it made a big difference. Because when it became their time, they were ready.”

USC quarterback Husan Longstreet scores a landing against the Missouri State at the Coliseum on Aug. 30.

(Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Maiava, of course, has been more than just a mere caretaker. After all, he leads the Big Ten in passing yards per sport this season (3,174), while also main USC in speeding touchdowns (6). With Maiava and his cannon arm at the helm, USC’s offense has returned to its proper place as one of faculty soccer’s most explosive outfits, producing 51 performs of 20-plus yards this season, fourth-most in the nation.

On paper, there’s no motive to assume Riley could be keen to change Maiava, who has rejuvenated both the read-option sport and the downfield facet of his offense since taking over for Miller Moss last season. But the dialog about USC’s future at the place was sophisticated by the second half of the season, during which Maiava stumbled against stiffer competitors.

During the Trojans’ first six video games, Maiava appeared to have taken a major step ahead. He was finishing 72% of his passes, up 12% from the earlier 12 months. He was averaging an eye-popping 11 yards per attempt, two yards better than Caleb Williams in his Heisman-winning season. Plus, after vowing to cut down on turnovers, Maiava had only thrown two interceptions over those six video games, showcasing a a lot better grasp of the sport and Riley’s offense.

“A very high percentage of our plays, he knows what to do and where to go with the ball,” Riley said. “He’s very comfortable with what we’re doing. Very focused, confident on his reads. That’s why he’s been so efficient all year.”

The strong start garnered critical NFL curiosity. Pro Football Focus just lately ranked Maiava as the No. 5 draft-eligible quarterback in the upcoming draft. But his second half of the season has begged some questions — not just about whether or not Maiava is prepared to declare for the draft, but whether or not he’s the correct quarterback for Riley to prioritize heading into next season.

Up against three of the nation’s top 11 defenses in cross yards allowed — Oregon, Iowa and Nebraska — Maiava retains up the same consistency from the season’s first half. His completion price, through his last 5 outings, sits just above 59% — decrease than it was during his 2024 stint as USC’s starter. Maiava’s turnovers have also tripled during that stretch (6), while he’s averaging more than three yards fewer per attempt (7.64)

Riley said Tuesday that Maiava’s inconsistencies of late have been due to the caliber of defenses he’s confronted — and circumstances that pressured USC’s offense to be aggressive downfield.

“We’ve continued to score points and win games and have one of the best offenses in the country, and he’s been a big part of that,” Riley said. “He’s still learning. He can play better. But he’s continuing to give us chances to win every week.”

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava gestures to teammates during a win over Iowa on Nov. 15.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

He’ll also have the prospect in the approaching weeks to contemplate if he needs to enter the NFL draft.

In the meantime, Longstreet will continue to watch dutifully as the No. 2 quarterback. He’s appeared in 4 video games, finishing 13 of 15 passes, on his method to a redshirt season. That time ready, Riley said, has been important.

“This has been such a valuable year for him — to serve as a backup quarterback, to learn, to just kind of be there to see all of these things transpire,” Riley said. “These are just things you can’t simulate. It gives you an opportunity to watch these different situations, how they happen, be able to go back, like, ‘What would you do? How would you handle it?’

“The hope is maybe you learn, ‘All right, I wasn’t the one playing, but when I am, I know exactly what I need to do or what I don’t need to do.’ It might be about on the field. It might be about leadership. It might be about a number of different things.”

USC quarterback Husan Longstreet is pushed out of bounds by Illinois’ Miles Scott at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 27 in Champaign, Ill.

(Justin Casterline / Getty Images)

When Longstreet will get a likelihood to put that information to use stays to be seen. But his teammates at USC have been impressed so far by what they’ve seen from the freshman.

“Husan is a machine, for real,” said freshman Tanook Hines. “He throwing that thing about 80 [yards], then turn around and run 4.3, 4.2.”

Others have been even more encouraging of the quarterback they hope stays a half of USC’s plans.

“He’s destined for greatness,” guard Kaylon Miller said of Longstreet. “Every single time I see him out there, I tell him, keep doing your thing. You keep going on the route you are right now, you’re going to be great.”