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Lincoln Riley Reveals the QB Who Has Impressed Him Amid USC's QB1 Battle
Lincoln Riley Reveals the QB Who Has Impressed Him Amid USC's QB1 Battle originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The USC Trojans enter the 2025 college football season with an intriguing competition at quarterback under head coach Lincoln Riley.
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Former four-star Miller Moss lost the job during the 2024 season before transferring to Louisville during the winter transfer portal window.
Moss' replacement, Jayden Maiava, returns after starting the final four games, featuring just one loss to national champion runner-up Notre Dame.
In seven total appearances, the former UNLV standout completed 59.8% of his passes for 1,201 yards with 11 touchdowns to six interceptions while adding four touchdowns on the ground.
Maiava has the benefit having a handful of starts as a Trojan under his belt entering his redshirt junior season. Five-star signee Husan Longstreet, however, appears to be coming along nicely and even received some praise from Lincoln entering the summer.
USC quarterback Husan Longstreet (4)Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
'He works really hard at it, and it's fun to coach guys who're just a football guy,' Riley said via On3's Pete Nakos. 'Husan doesn't have a million other interests off the field — he loves ball. He's up at the facility all the time. He's just really into it.'
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Longstreet (6-foot, 202 pounds) signed with the Trojans as the No. 4 quarterback (On3) and the No. 21 overall recruit when coming out of Centennial High School in Corona, California.
Riley proved last season that the Trojans won't wait around long at the quarterback position, and that likely won't change as USC attempts to bounce back after a disappointing 7-6 season.
Moss had shown flashes of ability, but the inconsistency was seemingly too much to overcome for a Riley offense that has produced three Heisman Trophy quarterbacks dating back to his stint at Oklahoma.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Longstreet continue to push Maiava, or even make a valuable early-season appearance, as the two compete for the starting nod.
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The Trojans will open the 2025 season at home against Missouri State on Aug. 30.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
