Will Jayden Maiava and Husan Longstreet remain USC quarterbacks?

During each of his last two Decembers at USC Lincoln Riley collided with critical decision at fullback: Should I chase the new passerby in the portal or trust the next one in line?

In each case, Riley chose to leave a known amount. But since his fourth regular season in USC Saturday is coming to an end UCLAThe coach may face a more difficult conundrum at his position this offseason.

Run it back with Jayden MaiavaWho was statistically one of the most proficient passers in college football this season? Or turn the page to the electric five-star freshman. Hussein Longstreetwho might not want to wait a long time for their chance as USC's starting quarterback?

It's a question that has perplexed many college football coaches in the transfer portal era, as the image of a top-tier quarterback prospect patiently waiting his turn to be named a starter has become increasingly rare. Of the top dozen quarterbacks in the 2024 class, six have already transferred. From 2023 onwards, that's seven of the top 12. From 2022 – eight. And of those who remained, only a few were still waiting to begin their second year.

It's unclear whether the same will happen to Longstreet. But Riley made his case for the young passer's patience clear this week when asked about the difficulty of convincing a top prospect to stay in the reserve role.

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

Speaking of Longstreet's situation, Riley pointed to his track record with the defenders waiting their turn.

“Other than Jalen Hurts, we didn't have a quarterback who was that guy right away,” Riley said. “Every one of them, all the guys that did all this, they all had that time. And if you ask them now, maybe back then, of course, they wanted to play, competitors in them. But if you ask them now, they're all damn happy they had the time, and that made a big difference. Because when their time came, they were ready.”

Maiava, of course, was more than just a caretaker. After all, he leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game this season (3,174) and also leads USC in rushing touchdowns (6). With Maiava and his cannon arm at the helm, USC's offense has returned to its place as one of college football's most explosive teams, producing 51 plays of 20-plus yards this season, fourth-most in the country.

On paper, there's no reason to believe Riley would want to replace Maiava, who has since rejuvenated both his read game and the downfield aspect of his offense. succeeded Miller Moss last season. But the conversation about USC's future at the position became more complicated in the second half of the season, during which Maiava faced tougher competition.

In the Trojans' first six games, Maiava appears to have taken a big step forward. He completed 72% of his passes, up 12% from the previous year. He averaged a staggering 11 yards per attempt, two yards better than Caleb Williams during Heisman winning season. Additionally, while promising to cut down on turnovers, Maiava threw just two interceptions in those six games, showing a much better understanding of the game 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 really likes what we do. He's very focused and confident in his reads. That's why he's been so effective all year.”

The strong start has generated serious interest in the NFL. Pro Football Focus recently ranked Maiava as the No. 5 overall quarterback in the upcoming draft. But his second half of the season has raised some questions – not only about whether Maiava is ready to declare for the draft, but whether he is the right quarterback for Riley to prioritize heading into next season.

Facing three of the nation's top 11 defenses in passing yards allowed – Oregon, Iowa and Nebraska – Maiawa maintains the same consistency it has seen in the first half of the season. His completion percentage over his last five starts sits just above 59%, lower than when he was USC's 2024 starter. Maiava's turnovers have also tripled during that stretch (6), while he's averaging more than three fewer yards per attempt (7.64).

Riley said Tuesday that Maiava's inconsistency of late was due to the level of defense he faced as well as the circumstances that forced the USC offense to be aggressive downfield.

“We continue to put up 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 continues to give us chances to win every week.”

He will also have a chance in the coming weeks to consider whether he wants to enter the NFL Draft.

In the meantime, Longstreet will continue to dutifully watch the game as the No. 2 quarterback. En route to his redshirt season, he appeared in four games, completing 13 of 15 passes. That wait time was critical, Riley said.

“It was a very valuable year for him, being a backup quarterback, learning, just being around and seeing it all happen,” Riley said. “It's just things you can't model. It gives you the opportunity to observe these different situations as they happen and be able to go back and ask, “What would you do? How would you deal with this?

“I hope that maybe you'll realize, 'Okay, it wasn't me who played, but when I play, I know exactly what I need to do and what I don't need to do.' Perhaps it's about gender. Perhaps it is about leadership. It could be about different things.”

When Longstreet will get a chance to put this knowledge into practice remains to be seen. But his teammates at USC have been impressed with what they've seen from the freshman so far.

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

Others were even more excited about the quarterback they hope will remain part of USC's plans.

“He’s destined to be great,” guard Kaylon Miller said of Longstreet. “Every time I see him there, I tell him, keep doing what you're doing. Keep going the route you're on now, you'll be successful.”