Jayden Maiava deserves clean slate as USC starting quarterback in 2025

There tends to be a desire for the new. When looking at the USC quarterback situation, there are many who would be more than willing to see Husan Longstreet get the start for the Trojans against Missouri State. To those critics, Jayden Maiava is too much of a risk-averse option to consider playing if the team is to achieve its goals in 2025.

This once again speaks to human nature. People tend to get bored and tired of seeing something they are already familiar with. Particularly when discussing something beyond the immediate reach of one's decision-making, there can be something of an insistence to see the new person get a chance to show that he was always the better option.

For someone who only lost a single game against Notre Dame as a starter in what was a close encounter, Maiava continues to be unfairly berated by many even within the Trojan fan base itself.

Bright future for USC at quarterback

Longstreet, of course, has a ton of potential. He will one day lead the USC offense, and he is likely to see his fair share of success as QB1. Maiava is being judged on a sample size in which he was asked to replace Miller Moss mid-year. Continuing to hold Maiava hostage to what ended up being a 3-1 record and only a 14-point loss to the national runner-ups seems harsh.

What's more, even when Maiava did make mistakes, he showed the ability to bounce back and quickly put the mental errors behind him. This alone is a trait that should have the Trojan community in full support of their starting quarterback. Many collapse and allow a pick to become a complete game-killer to the offensive rhythm, but not Maiava. Instead, he has shown his aptitude to rebound and continue to keep USC in games when others would not be able to. Now as the clear-cut starter, too, Maiava is ready to have an excellent 2025 season.