Jayden Maiava
Buzz vs Tape
Fans hotter than the country
His own fans read him warmer than the wider college football conversation does — a gap of 33.9 points in belief.
Also worth knowing:
Jayden Maiava
Operates within the system without forcing anything. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Barry Odom and Lincoln Riley. All-Big Ten in 2025 was the second honor of his career. The receipt on tape: 412 pass yds, 5 rush yds against Georgia Southern, Week 2, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
Career Arc
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE · 1ST TEAM
All-Conf 1st team (2025)
All-Big Ten
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Lincoln Riley.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lincoln Riley
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 3 · RecognizedR09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
All-Conference HM / 2nd team. Conference recognition has started.
Recognition
Production
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE · 1ST TEAM
All-Conf 1st team (2025)
All-Big Ten
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 12 · 2025
W 26–21
vs Iowa
254 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 88.7 · 11 rush yds (5 car)
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 5 at home.
How he plays
Play style
Balanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
USC
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Quarterback · USC
Returning around him
- 37% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
- 3 USC players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -13 net (9 in / 22 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
USC · Last season: 9-4 (AP #16) · Talent rank #17 · 2026 recruiting class #1
DNA match
Player DNA
Pocket Passer
Balanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Will Howard’s 2024 season.
Matches Will on
Differs from Will on
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Drew Mestemaker’s path through North Texas.
Matches Drew on
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Carson Beck's junior season at Georgia (2023).
Matches Carson on
Differs from Carson on
Player DNA
Players who play like Jayden Maiava
Heisman trajectory
Heisman futures · sportsbook market
#13 in market ▼ from #12 · 6 books
Heisman Trajectory · 2025
Peak #10
Peaked at #10 — top-10 conversation.
Development
Development Trajectory · passing yards
2023–2025+20%
Modest growth (20%) across the multi-season window.
Background
CAREER: Throughout his three-year career (one season at UNLV and two at USC) has gone 590-of-925 (63.8%) for 7,997 yards with 52 TDs and 26 INTs. He has recorded 147 carries for 479 yards (3.3 avg.) with 13 TDs. As a Trojan, he has hit 63.9% of his passes (366-of-572) for 4,912 yards and 35 TDs w...