The calls for transfer quarterback Jayden Maiava to start at quarterback for USC have mounted over the course of this season, and the redshirt sophomore is now poised to take the reins to close out the year for the Trojans.

In his first year as a starter last season at UNLV, Maiava was a dynamic and unpredictable force en route to being named Mountain West Freshman of the Year.

Maiava finished his lone season as a starter with passing stats of 3,085 yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a completion percentage of 63.5%. As a rusher, he finished with 340 yards and 3 touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry (sack yardage exempted).

Maiava’s spectacular physical gifts were on display from the jump. He possesses a pro-ready frame at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, brings excellent arm talent to the table and has the mobility necessary to be a real threat both as an out-of-structure creator and a runner. The arm talent in particular is striking -- it's what had high school coaches pushing him to try quarterback even when he wasn't sure about his fit at the position.

"I actually started playing linebacker and receiver, and I realized I was too slow so I went to quarterback and I allegedly had a big arm," Maiava said this week, as he turned to the position his freshman year of high school in Nevada (before later moving to Hawaii and then back to Nevada).

Here’s Maiava throwing in high school for reference

It's the first thing everyone mentions about the quarterback, including his USC wide receivers this week.

"He can throw that deep ball for sure. His arm talent [is] crazy. You can see it on film -- it ain't a surprise to nobody," Makai Lemon said.

Said Kyle Ford: "I think even the first time I was throwing with him the ball kind of gets on you pretty quick, you're like 'Ooh.' And then he throws a couple deep balls and you know you gotta get on your horse and go run."

However, the UNLV tape last season showed that Maiava still had room for significant development in the mental aspects of his game. His 10 interceptions and 4 fumbles (3 lost) underscore that, and it remains to be seen how much improvement he’s managed to make in one season under Lincoln Riley’s coaching.

Maiava’s action in a Trojans uniform has so far been limited to just a smattering of garbage time reps, so it’s hard to say what he’ll look like in his first action as a starter for USC against a stout Nebraska defense on Saturday.

In order to form a clearer picture of what exactly he’ll be bringing to the table, I combed through some of his 2023 film, looking at plays specifically from his up-and-down late season contests against Air Force and Kansas in order to present an even view of both the good and the bad before closing out with a look at some highlights from across that season to show what he’s capable of at his best.

In a 31-27 win, Maiava was 15-of-29 passing for 339 Yards, 2 TD, 2 INT and had 7 rushes for 54 yards.

Maiava comes out with guns blazing to start this game. On the first offensive snap, he launches a bomb for an 88-yard touchdown, showing off the arm talent that makes him so special. As he’s able to work patiently from a clean pocket here, we’re able to see his deep ball in its optimal form.

The effortlessness with which he releases this ball is notable -- look at the ease with which that thing launches off his right hand and the total lack of movement from the rest of his body as he follows through. He flicks this football like he’s lobbing it to a wide-open receiver in the middle of the field, only for it to travel nearly 50 yards on a rope to hit his man right in stride for the touchdown. This is the arm talent you’ll hear so much about when it comes to Maiava, the ability to make the spectacular look easy.

On what looks like it’s supposed to be a play-action rollout, Maiava is forced to reset in the pocket as a free rusher cuts off his path. He does a great job of settling down in a new spot and keeping his eyes scanning downfield before he successfully locates his receiver 20 yards away. Off his back foot, Maiava delivers a perfect ball to his open receiver despite barely having time to set his feet.

With a wide-open receiver running downfield on the trips side of the formation, Maiava throws a rather inaccurate ball far too high and inside. Lucky for him, the receiver makes a spectacular leaping grab to snatch the ball away from what might have easily ended up a turnover. Maiava has a tendency to miss high, which may result from the amount of power he gets on his throws.

Here we have the first glimpse at the spotty decision-making that held Maiava back throughout his first year as a starter. On an RPO, he first makes the decision to keep the ball rather than to hand it off to his running back, which appears to be a poor decision already given the number of defenders to each side of the formation. As he tries to get to the outside, he’s quickly met by a defender in the backfield, forcing him to throw off-platform while getting hit. He tries to get this ball to a well-covered receiver down the sideline, and it isn’t even close, leading to an easy interception for the defense. There are interceptions that are understandable, and those that aren’t. This is one of those passes you just can’t throw.