Lincoln Riley describes where USC’s quarterback room stands

USC‘s quarterback competition in 2024 is shaping up to be one that won’t have a winner until deep in fall camp. Miller Moss and Jayden Maiava are the two leading the charge for the Trojans under center.

Head coach Lincoln Riley is going to take his time with deciding who will take the first snap of the Trojans’ 2024 college football season but revealed to On3’s JD PicKell what qualities he’s looking for in Caleb Williams‘ successor.

“We’re gonna let the guys in the room compete,” Riley told PicKell. “That’s a hallmark of, I think, all the great quarterback rooms that we’ve had, the other great position rooms we’ve had, I think it’s been a hallmark of this program forever and ever. And so, I think to be a starter at a place like USC, you’ve got to go compete, you’ve got to go earn it and that’s — we want that to be part of every single position room. Why not do it at the one that is kind of at the center of all of this? And so, absolutely, those guys are going to compete.

“We feel like we got great options in the room. We wanted to add a young guy that had some experience, that was able to come in and be a factor in the job right now. And Jayden certainly fits the bill there. We couldn’t have been more proud of the way that Miller had led the team, the program, in a lot of ways, into that bowl game and the way he played. I’m really excited about the room.”

Moss completed 23 of 33 passes against Louisville, throwing for 372 yards, six touchdowns, and an interception. The six TDs were a USC program record in a bowl game as well. A true coming-out party for somebody who has waited their turn. Because of this performance and his familiarity with Riley’s system, many believe he has the edge over Maiava, the transfer from UNLV.

In 2023, Maiava led UNLV to the conference championship game and completed 62.9 percent of passes for 3,085 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also ran for 277 yards and three scores in the process.

Maiava does have the most starting experience out of the two quarterbacks, so it appears as though the quarterback competition will come down to who Riley feels fits the Trojans’ scheme the best by the time the 2024 college football season begins.