A day after committing to Georgia on Monday, UNLV quarterback transfer Jayden Maiava had a change of heart and flipped his commitment to USC on Tuesday, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney confirmed.
Maiva visited both Georgia and USC before mulling -- and rethinking -- his decision.
At USC, he'll have a chance to compete with redshirt junior Miller Moss for the starting quarterback job this spring and likely through fall camp. Whether he wins the job or not, though, Maiava has three years of eligibility remaining and was surely sold on the long-term value of being developed by Trojans coach Lincoln Riley.
Maiava passed for 3,085 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a redshirt freshman at UNLV this season (along with 277 yards and 3 TDs rushing), earning Mountain West Freshman of the Year recognition.
Maiava, who was a bit under the radar as a three-star prospect out of Hawaii in the 2022 class, opened this season as UNLV's backup quarterback but got his chance when starter Doug Brumfield was injured in Week 2 vs. Vanderbilt. Maiava took over with UNLV trailing 17-0 and led his team to a 40-37 win, passing for 261 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT along with 1 rushing TD.
He ran with the job from there, closing the season with a strong performance in UNLV's 49-36 loss to Kansas in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, passing for 291 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs.
Maiava is a playmaker -- he's showed that much -- but he also needs development and to refine his decision-making.
Riley is renowned for his quarterback development, producing three Heisman Trophy winners and a runner-up over seven years as a head coach.
But he and the Trojans found themselves in a QB quandary this offseason with star Caleb Williams heading to the NFL (though he hasn't made any official declaration yet) and five-star freshman Malachi Nelson choosing to leave after one season and transfer to Boise State.
That left USC with only Moss and former JUCO transfer Jake Jensen as scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.
Riley said last month that he'd consider bringing in two more quarterbacks -- one to compete with Moss immediately and/or provide an experienced backup, and a young QB to develop for the future as USC did not sign a QB in the 2024 class and has a gap until five-star Julian Lewis (Class of 2026 but could reclassify into 2025) arrives.
Well, in Maiava, Riley found both -- an exciting talent who showcased himself in college games already and a young QB with three years of eligibility left to continue refining his game.
Whether USC still looks to add a fourth QB to the mix is unknown.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting whenever Maiva finally meets with media for the first time to discuss how his flip from Georgia to USC came about.
Just as it will be interesting to see what transpires in the spring between he and Moss, who made a very strong case to enter spring as USC's QB1 after passing for 372 yards, 6 touchdowns and 1 interception in his first career start in the Holiday Bowl. He certainly has the support of the locker room -- that much was clear afterward. After for a former four-star prospect who has put in three years into the program already and absolutely maximized his first real opportunity, he deserves every shot to take the job and run with it, but it won't just be handed to him.
Not now.
