USC starting quarterback Jayden Maiava is returning for the 2026 season
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USC’s starting quarterback is returning for another season in 2026.
Jayden Maiava made it official Tuesday as the school announced that he had re-signed with the program for the upcoming season, his third with the Trojans.
Maiava led USC to a 9-3 record in his first full season as starter after taking over the job during the final month of the 2023 season. He threw for 3,431 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also added six scores on the ground.
Maiava struggled in each of the Trojans’ three losses on the road in 2025. But when asked about his progress last month, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley credited Maiava for leading “one of the best offenses in the country.”
In addition to working with a renown quarterbacks coach, USC’s Jayden Maiava has been reading motivational books and meditating in an effort to improve his game.
“He’s been a big part of that,” Riley said. “He’s playing good. He’s still learning. He can play better. But he’s continuing to give us chances to win every week.”
Maiava did improve significantly from his redshirt sophomore season, raising his completion rate nearly 7% while adding two yards per pass attempt. His strong performance was enough to raise questions of whether Maiava might declare for the NFL draft. Some prognosticators viewed Maiava as one of the better potential quarterback prospects in a draft especially thin on passers.
Instead, Maiava will run it back at USC, where the Trojans are set to return most of their dynamic 2025 offense in 2026 — the exception being their top two wideouts Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, who both declared for the draft. USC announced earlier this week that it had re-signed No. 1 running back Waymond Jordan and receivers Tanook Hines and Zacharyus Williams for the 2026 season.
At the helm of that offense, it’s likely that Maiava will open next season on the shortlist for the Heisman Trophy.
Maiava’s return now turns the attention to five-star backup Husan Longstreet, who will have a decision to make about his future at USC. It’s unclear if Longstreet would be willing to wait another season behind Maiava.
Christmas is almost here, so what better time to look at what USC football needs to improve next season.
Last month, when asked about the difficulty of keeping two top passers, Riley made a plea for Longstreet to stay. He talked about how quarterbacks he coached had waited their turn — and thrived because of it.
“Every one of them, all the guys that did all the things, they all had that time,” Riley said. “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.
“For any player, especially a quarterback, I don’t know if this would be the right time to leave this place. 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.”
