The discourse surrounding Jayden Maiava and other quarterbacks in the Big Ten seems to always have Maiava getting the short end of the stick. Experts do not think he passes the eye test, nor is he of the same caliber as the top quarterbacks in his conference. Just like last season, Maiava will just have to use it as motivational fuel.
Jayden Maiava fell to the 5th-best quarterback in the Big Ten in a recent rankings list from USA TODAY Sports. In a recent article, Paul Myerberg lists his ranking for all 18 starting Big Ten quarterbacks. Here is his reasoning for being lower on Maiava than most:
"Maiava gets lost in the shuffle in the Big Ten but has an opportunity to climb this list if USC can leap back into the playoff picture. The former UNLV
transfer will have plenty to work with thanks to more transfer help and the addition of one of the year’s top recruiting classes."
Jayden Maiava's numbers alone allow him to be in conversations with the upper-echelon quarterbacks in the Big Ten Conference. However, many experts still do not view him in the same tier. Maiava had great success last season, and he did more than just prove the doubters wrong. This season, he will have to do the same thing. This season, he will have everything he needs to have the season that will give him all of the respect he deserves and much more.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Jayden Maiava has to show he's better than every other Big Ten QB
