LOS ANGELES – Jayden Maiava finds it hard to believe where he’s at.
That’s not something you’d expect from the Southern Cal starting quarterback, a spot that has always leaned into LA's glitz and glamour, with Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Caleb Williams proof they never shy away from the Hollywood spotlight.
This is a kid from Pālolo, a neighborhood near Honolulu, just a mile away from the famed Diamond Head crater. To most, living on the island sounds like paradise, especially when he had all seven siblings, uncles and aunts in the area to be with, but it was anything but for Maiava.
“It was a rough neighborhood. Definitely a neighborhood I wouldn't want my own kids to live in,” Maiava told USA TODAY Sports. “We faced a lot of adversity, a lot of ups
and downs.”
Football wasn’t something he viewed as a possible career. To Maiava, and plenty of other kids, it was just something to get out of the house and avoid trouble.
So you can imagine as he sits inside USC’s brand new $225 million, 163,000 square-foot football facility as the man at the center of a college football blue-blood, it’s tough to grasp this reality — especially when your team needs the whole country to know who you are.
The 2026 season is a pivotal one for the Trojans, and it can all hang on Maiava in taking the team to its first College Football Playoff appearance.
This is his third season in the program, but he has mostly flown under the radar. Not just unusual for a USC quarterback, but odd considering his coach Lincoln Riley is known for having undeniable signal-callers. He doesn’t command that much attention, and for a guy as humble as Maiava, that’s perfectly fine.
But pretty soon, you won’t be able to ignore him much longer.
“If you're not paying attention to him, then you just don't know a ton about college ball,” Riley told USA TODAY Sports in May. “He keeps playing like he's capable of, he won't give people a choice.”
A low-key profile might be because Maiava wasn’t a heralded quarterback out of high school. Whether it was at UNLV or USC, he began as a backup. He only found the field because of injury at UNLV in 2023. USC made the switch in 2024 after inconsistency from Miller Moss.
In each instance, Maiava proved he should have been starting in the first place. He led UNLV to the Mountain West championship game, and after his transfer to the Trojans didn’t generate much noise, he stepped in for a 4-5 team and won three of the last four.
The 2025 campaign was the first time in Maiava’s college career he was the guy from the jump. He threw for 3,711 yards — fourth-most in FBS — with 24 touchdowns and an additional six scores on the ground. He led the country with a 91.2 quarterback rating, even better than Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
When he’s gotten the chance, Maiava has delivered, but becoming one of the best quarterbacks was not something many saw coming. Luckily, the guru in Riley gave him a piece of advice that stuck with him, helping him blossom and remain confident: “Decisiveness always wins.”
“You don't want to play the position hesitant,” Maiava said. “Coach Riley's the best coach in college football, so it's hard to mess up. When you go out there, just continue to trust it and play fast and continue to trust on routine plays.”
Even with the rising star status, that humility remained. Over the summer, EA Sports reached out about him being one of the athletes on the cover of College Football 27. Just about anyone would immediately jump at the opportunity, but that wasn’t necessarily the case with Maiava.
Because again, he found it hard to believe.
“I'd rather have somebody else's face up there,” Maiava said. “I can just think of so many other players that it's so deserving for them, you know what I'm saying, rather than me.”
Still, he couldn't turn down a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and graciously made the cover. Because he realized it was something bigger than him.
Return to Hawaii rejuvenates Jayden Maiava
In May, Maiava returned home to Pālolo. Not to just be back with family, but host a football camp, giving youths that were just like him a chance to learn and experience more about football.
It was a rewarding experience for him, and he saw his younger self in every kid that attended. Just a week before, a storm had wrecked through Oahu, leaving thousands without power and damaged homes. As his cousins, nieces, nephews and other kids went through drills, adults — and even Hawaii Gov. Josh Green — were thanking him for bringing some joy back home.
There was also a pa’ina, a dinner party, with USC alumni on the island for a fundraiser for Hawaiian youth and mental health awareness.
Running back Waymond Jordan joined his quarterback, and he saw how special all of this was for Maiava. He said the trip “meant everything for him” because it’s Maiava’s community, “so that’s like family to me.”
All of it reminded Maiava on what he means for culture. It’s not lost on him he’s the first Polynesian starting quarterback at USC.
“It's unbelievable,” he said. “Being that Polynesian player kind of just brings me back to remembering who I am and continuing to stay true to myself.
“It's crazy how everything plays out,” he adds, thinking about how not long ago, he was just a kid looking to get out of the house.
Not only a rewarding trip back home, but one that prepared Maiava for 2026. His biggest offseason goals didn’t consist of things like throwing the ball quicker, or working on his mobility. What he felt he needed was to focus on the off-the-field things, and work on compartmentalizing everything that comes at him, and nothing like being within your roots to help with that.
“Try to find a quiet in the storm or the quiet in the noise,” he said. “Just being present in the moment, putting all my attention to where my feet are at, rather than getting sidetracked with different thoughts and things that go on in my head.”
It’s a good thing to do, especially considering how loud the noise will be for USC. The pressure is on for Riley and the Trojans to live up to the lofty expectations and make the CFP for the first time. The path isn't be easy, with games against No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon and No. 19 Washington, as well as trips to defending champion No. 6 Indiana and No. 17 Penn State in one of the toughest schedules in the country.
No doubt a gauntlet, but if USC is able to regain its spot among college football's elite, it will be because of Maiava’s play.
How Jayden Maiava is 'just in a different place'
Several teammates and coaches have touted Maiava’s leadership. Offensive lineman Tobias Raymond noted it’s easy to tell “how doing it for a while” has helped Maiava get more comfortable.
Usually soft-spoken, he’s been noticeably more vocal, and Riley says his quarterback is “bursting with confidence, and just in a different place than he's ever been.”
“He's always had some fire about him. He just doesn't always show it in the most outward moments,” Riley said. “I think our guys have enjoyed seeing his personality kind of get out there a little bit more and becoming more comfortable.
“It's been fun to see him come out of his shell and show more personality and lead and also do it with kind of the humble nature that kind of really defines who he is.”
Maiava credits his experience for paving the way for him to command the team. He will be the second quarterback Riley has had start for three seasons, joining Williams.
Yet, Maiava is far different from the several heralded guys Riley had behind center. You think of names like Williams, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts and Baker Mayfield. Maiava is one of a kind in his coach’s eyes, and maybe that’s why he’s not just excited for the potential of his team, but also for the guy that powered his way to get to this spot.
“I get every indication and feeling that he's ready to just play his tail off this year, and he's got a good group of guys around him, and he knows it,” Riley said. “His progression has been different than some of the others I've had, just because of where he started and how much he's grown. But I'm super proud of him, and I cannot wait to watch him play this year.”
All of it indicates Maiava is out to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country. With the status that comes with USC, he admits the noise can be loud. “Sometimes louder than I would want it,” he adds.
The pressure will rise and the occasion must be met. How does he not only survive, but thrive in it? By remembering who he is, and the humble beginnings that brought him to this moment.
“The biggest thing for me is stay true to who I am, and I know who I am,” he said.
When talking about the video game cover, he gets reminded other USC cover boys were Heisman Trophy winners — and can’t fathom the thought of being on the same level.
“Reggie Bush, Carson Palmer. I mean, Heisman winner guys,” Maiava said. “I was just No. 14 up there.”
If he has the season he and so many others envision, he won’t just be No. 14. He could be the Heisman Trophy-winning No. 14, quarterback of the playoff bound USC Trojans.
Now would you believe that?
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: At USC, Hollywood's spotlight finds you. Jayden Maiava is ready for it
