Lincoln Riley-Jayden Maiava duo lands USC football in analyst’s top 5 offenses

USC football has been widely viewed as a disappointment during its time under Lincoln Riley, but the Trojans have quietly been getting closer and closer to the top of the sport in recent years. Last season, Riley and company were in the College Football Playoff discussion until a late-season loss to Oregon knocked them out.

Jayden Maiava’s ascension into the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the country was a big reason for USC’s midseason hot streak. Maiava took over as the starting quarterback midseason in 2024 for Miller Moss, and he hasn’t looked back. Now, the former UNLV quarterback is a hot name as a potential first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Now, the hype machine around Maiava and USC is at an all-time high heading into 2026. On3 Sports College Football analyst J.D. Pickell ranked the Trojans as the No. 5 offense in the country coming into the season.

Maiava is undoubtedly one of the best signal-callers in college football coming off of a season where he recorded 30 total touchdowns, but he will have things a little more difficult this fall. Both Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane were drafted into the NFL after forming one of the best receiver duos in the nation in 2025, so Maiava won’t have nearly as much help on the outside.

Riley’s quarterbacks have always gotten a bulk of the attention for the success of those offenses, and players like Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Caleb Williams and Maiava earned that recognition. However, the running game has always been the key to his success. The one-two punch of Waymond Jordan and King Miller can carry a heavy load on the ground and should give USC a lethal run game this fall.

Still, the ceiling of this USC offense will still come down to Maiava. If he has a big year, he should be a Heisman Trophy candidate and a potential first-round pick for a team that has a chance to make the College Football Playoff. If that is the case, this unit could slot in even higher than No. 5 at season’s end.

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