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Lincoln Riley reveals USC QB plans following Miller Moss transfer

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•12/05/24•

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Lincoln Riley
USC head coach Lincoln Riley has some important decisions to make after a 6-6 season.

For the second consecutive offseason, USC is down a quarterback. Miller Moss is leaving Los Angeles via the NCAA transfer portal, continuing his career elsewhere. Miller began the year as the starter for head coach Lincoln Riley but Jayden Maiava took over in the final three games.

Maiava is set to return but as of now, USC is set to have two quarterbacks on the roster. During his National Signing Day press conference, Riley admitted the Trojans would need to find somebody through the portal. Not specifically somebody who would be pushing for playing time, though.

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“We will look for another quarterback in the portal,” Riley said. “I think we’re going to be looking for somebody to come in and provide some depth in that room. Like you said, we just have two guys right now. Which, I think earlier in my career I would have been freaking out a little bit. Now, it’s a yearly occurrence.”

When Maiava joined from UNLV, his role was expected to be a depth piece to sit behind Moss. But as the offense struggled through the season a change was made. Running thin at quarterback is not an option in college football these days, even if Riley has a calmer demeanor at the moment.

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Depth will be extra important when the second quarterback currently in the room is a true freshman. USC signed five-star Husan Longstreet as a member of their 2025 recruiting class, flipping from Texas A&M. Riley is excited to get him on campus as well.

“Really excited to bring Husan into our program,” Riley said. “As that whole scenario played out, it became very clear that we wanted him to be the quarterback in the program for a lot of different reasons. Specifically, his mental makeup and commitment to the team and commitment to want to be great. Can’t wait to add him to the room.”

Longstreet played high school football at Corona (CA) Centennial, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 20 overall recruit in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Quarterbacks are usually quite willing to learn under Riley, considered one of the best out there. Convincing somebody to join with no promise of playing time will be difficult but USC’s roster certainly needs it.