Riley: Moss gives USC 'best chance to win' but also confident in Maiava

The tweet Monday from the official USC football account announcing Miller Moss as the Trojans' starting quarterback was anticlimactic.

Moss has been the presumed starter since he threw six touchdown passes in his first career start in the Holiday Bowl, prompting Riley and the staff to stop pursuing any veteran quarterback transfers.

Nonetheless, Riley had held off on making such a proclamation until this week, and he expounded on it Tuesday after practice while also accentuating his confidence in backup Jayden Maiava, the UNLV transfer.

"It just felt like we’d got to a point where we’d seen enough of the guys. Just felt like that was the right decision for the team," Riley said. "And it was close. It was close. Give Miller a lot of credit. I think he improved and handled the competition well. Jayden Maiava improved drastically, which, I think we all expected there would be some improvement, and it was a major, major jump for him. Really proud of how he handled the competition. He was neck and neck with him the entire time, which was a big move from the spring. You could tell his familiarity with the offense helped.

"Jake Jensen continues to do some nice things. Great guy in the room. But just consistently, Miller was still the best and the guy we feel like gives this team the best chance to win and play well. He’s built off the momentum from the bowl game and from spring and I think is playing at a high level and has done it very consistently. I think it’s his consistency every day, as a player, as a leader, operating the offense that’s certainly a part of what makes him the player he is."

Moss, the redshirt junior who has patiently waited his turn in an era where most such former four-star prospects would have already taken a trip through the transfer portal, said Riley told him the official news after team meetings Monday in the coach's office.

"I think it means a tremendous amount. It's a tremendous honor. But at the end of the day, I think it's more about what you do with it than just being named the starter," Moss said. "I think, obviously, it's a good, positive first step, but I think now it's about going and winning football games."

Moss, who was ranked the No. 8 pro-style quarterback and No. 109 overall national prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, is 66-of-92 passing for 914 yards, 9 touchdowns and 1 interception (plus 2 rushing TDs) in his three years at USC. Most of those stats came last December in the Trojans' Holiday Bowl win over Louisville, when Caleb Williams opted out of the bowl game, giving Moss a chance for his first career start. He responded by passing for 372 yards, 6 TDs and 1 INT in an eye-opening performance.

After USC had pursued some established veteran QB transfers once the transfer portal opened, Riley called Moss the day after the bowl game to tell him they would look to add a younger transfer QB rather than a high-profile veteran.

That ended up being Maiava, who briefly committed to Georgia before spurning the Bulldogs for the Trojans. Maiava had passed for 2,794 yards, 14 TDs and 8 INTs while rushing for 261 yard and 3 TDs as a redshirt freshman at UNLV last fall.

He understood he was leaving a program where the starting job was his for a program where that couldn't be promised. Speaking before the start of fall camp, Maiava said he hasn't looked back since making that decision.

"It was a lot of discussion, it was a lot of talk between me and my family, a lot of talk with myself and God -- I prayed about it a lot just to show me the right path. And I believe I made the right decision. I don't regret leaving, so I'm happy that I'm here," he said last month.

Even before the start of camp, Maiava felt he had maximized the summer to grow even more comfortable in the offense and building on what he had done in the spring.

"I've come a long way from the 15 practices I've had, for sure, but I'm always looking to learn more about the playbook," he said. "I think I got a good feel of what it is now -- it's just all about tying everything together and getting a good relationship with the receivers and the O-line."

Speaking Tuesday, Riley emphasized how much progress he's seen from Maiava. He was also asked how comfortable he'd be putting Maiava in a game if Moss wasn't available, and Riley didn't hesitate in his answer.

"Extremely. Yeah, extremely comfortable. I’d play anybody with him, the way he practiced and competed," Riley said. "He’s a talented kid. He’s got a bright future here. No doubt about that. It was a great battle. Typically, the rooms I’ve been in, when you have a great battle, it makes both guys better. You can certainly say that about this competition."

For his part, Moss downplayed any notion that he's accomplished anything by simply earning the starting job.

"I mean, it’s hard in what we do to stop and smell the roses. I mean, obviously, it was a goal I set for myself a long time ago and I’m happy I accomplished that, but like I said, like – I don’t think it’s necessarily about that, now. It’s about going and winning games," he said.

He was further asked what it meant to join a group of Riley starting quarterbacks that includes Heisman winners Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams, etc.

“Yeah, well, I’m not in that group yet. But, I mean, like I said, it’s an honor to have the opportunity to be in that group," Moss said.

While it's far from a completed story, indeed, it's a compelling narrative nonetheless. Not only did Moss wait three years for this opportunity, but he grew up a diehard USC fan.

"The first [USC QB] I have real memories of watching was John David Booty, but [Matt] Barkley was really, like, the guy I watched when I really had an understanding of football," he said.

Now that the opportunity is there for him to write his own chapter in USC football history, Moss was asked if he was happy he stayed patient and a Trojan all this time.

“Extremely happy," he replied.