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USC's Jayden Maiava lands among On3's Impact Top 25 quarterbacks

Erik-McKinneyby:Erik McKinney•about 9 hours•

ErikTMcKinney

jayden maiava
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava. (Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images)

Jayden Maiava had his share of ups and downs after taking over as the starter for the USC Trojans for the final four games of the 2024 season. The Trojans went 3-1 in Maiava’s four starts, but the 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback threw six interceptions in those four games, with three of them returned for touchdowns.

Maiava did show some upside during his time as a starter, throwing for at least one touchdown in all four starts and helping guide the Trojans to a tremendous comeback against Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl to end the season. He threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns in that game, able to overcome three interceptions and a 24-7 Texas A&M lead late in the third quarter.

Maiva will head into 2025 spring ball as the Trojans’ starter and plenty of USC hope that he can accentuate the positives he flashed at times and cut down on the costly interceptions.

He’ll be considered one of the standout quarterbacks in the nation at this point, as he checked in at No. 22 in On3’s Impact Top 25 Quarterback Rankings.

Maiava is the No. 3 Big Ten quarterback in the rankings, behind Penn State’s Drew Allar at No. 2 overall and Illinois’ Luke Altmyer at No. 21 overall. Just two quarterbacks on USC’s 2025 schedule appear on the list, in Altmyer and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, listed just behind Maiava at No. 23. The fourth Big Ten quarterback on the list is Ohio State’s Julian Sayin at No. 25.

The complete list of On3 Impact Top 25 Quarterbacks

1. Sam Leavitt – Arizona State
2. Drew Allar – Penn State
3. DJ Lagway – Florida
4. Arch Manning – Texas
5. LaNorris Sellers – South Carolina
6. Garrett Nussmeier – LSU
7. Carson Beck – Miami
8. Cade Klubnik – Clemson
9. John Mateer – Oklahoma
10. Nico Iamaleava – Tennessee
11. Josh Hoover, TCU
12. Taylen Green, Arkansas
13. Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh
14. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
15. CJ Bailey, NC State
16. Darian Mensah, Duke
17. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
18. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
19. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
20. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
21. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
22. Jayden Maiava, USC
23. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
24. Miller Moss, Louisville
25. Julian Sayin, Ohio State

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Garry Paskwietz (1966-2019)

Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. He founded WeAreSC in 1998 and was an Emmy winner for his work with Fox Sports West. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and compassion, he touched the lives of countless USC and high school football fans.

Garry Paskwietz