USC quarterback Jayden Maiava trotted onto the field in front of a record breaking crowd of 114,419 people at Penn State in week 6.
The song “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes blasted throughout the stadium for the annual White Out game at Beaver Stadium.
The USC quarterback silenced the rocking crowd on the first play of the game with a 12-yard completion to Zacharyus Williams. He proceeded to go a perfect 5-of-5 on the drive and connected with freshman receiver Trent Mosley for a 19-yard touchdown.
The entire drive, Maiava displayed a calmness to him. He wasn’t fazed by the environment. He wasn’t going to allow the crowd to affect him pre-snap, and he certainly wasn’t going to let it affect him during the play.
Throughout the night, Maiava made plays that left one of college football’s most hostile environments silent. You could hear a pen drop as the Trojans signal-caller delivered from start to finish.
Maiava completed 21-of-33 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns. For a quarterback that has started close to 40 career games and is in year three under coach Lincoln Riley, it was the type of performance you would expect in that situation and can elevate a team in tough games.
“Thought he was poised, confident. I think he was very locked into how we wanted to attack them and I thought he stayed really steady throughout the entire game,” Riley said. “He played how you need your senior quarterback to play and one of your experienced players in terms of that environment.
“I thought he handled it well. He played one of his best games for certain. Just really proud of his poise. There was just king of a calmness with him and there was energy but he was just very calm throughout the entire game.”
It’s not Maiava's best game statistically. He threw for a career-high five touchdowns against Louisiana in week 2. The week prior against Fresno State, Maiava competed 92% of his passes and three touchdowns.
But given the atmosphere and stakes, it was arguably the best performance of Maiava's career in the Cardinal and Gold.
Path Forward for Jayden Maiava
ESPN’s Mel Kiper recently released his player and position rankings for the 2027 NFL Draft. Seven quarterbacks landed in the top 50 and Maiava wasn't one of them.
Is Maiava the most disrespected quarterback in the country? Perhaps. There’s definitely a strong argument. He's constantly overlooked when talking about the top quarterbacks in the country and in discussions around the 2027 draft.
But it’s only October. The draft doesn’t happen until April of 2027. And this isn’t the offseason where a player can see their draft stock skyrocket in shorts and a t-shirt. There’s still a lot of games still left to be played.
Consistency is the big thing for Maiava. Stringing together performances like the one he had in Happy Valley is vital because the week before against Washington, Maiava played his worst game of the season.
The Trojans have a tough road ahead with road games against Wisconsin, Indiana and UCLA. Ohio State rolls into town on Halloween. Each game is an opportunity for Maiava to make a statement that would not only put his team in position to make a run at the College Football Playoff but elevate his draft stock.
Playing the way he did against Penn State on the road against Indiana and UCLA would catch the attention of NFL decision makers. Shining inside the Coliseum against Ohio State at the end of the month would be hard to ignore.
Southern Cal needs more out of defense in those upcoming ranked matchups but the outcomes will largely fall on the shoulders of Maiava. The biggest advantage USC could have in those games is the play of Maiava and that has been the case since the redshirt senior took over as the starter in November of 2024.
The Trojans are 11-0 in games where Maiava doesn’t throw an interception. They are 14-1 when it completes more than 61-percent of his passes.
Maiava is the unquestioned leader of the team. USC will go as far as he takes him.
Emergence of New Targets
Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt are USC’s two leading receivers and they’re both true freshmen. But based on their play and seamless transition to the college level, you would have never known without looking at a roster.
The former Trinity League stars are showing the important of the Trojans putting an emphasis on recruiting Southern California at a high level. Dixon-Wyatt’s high school teammate, freshman tight end Mark Bowman also factors into that equation.
Sophomore Tanook Hines has found his rhythm in the offense over the past few games after a slow start. Hines missed the entirely of the offseason and season opener as he recovered from an offseason procedure.
For the first time since he was eight years old, Hines wasn’t playing football or running track in the spring. The Houston native has since returned to the form that made him a standout true freshman in 2025. Mosley, Dixon-Wyatt and Hines gives Maiava one of the most explosive trios in college football.
Williams has been a key contributor in his second season in the program. Freshmen receivers Boobie Feaster and Tron Baker have also emerged as reliable targets for Maiava.
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