Entering the 2025 season, Jayden Maiava appears to be the guy at quarterback for USC football. After starting the final four games of the Trojans’ 2024 campaign, Maiava is the heavy favorite to take over the starting job full-time.
Recently, college football analyst Josh Pate of CBS Sports shared his Big Ten quarterback rankings. Maiava came in at No. 7 on the list. Ahead of him were Penn State’s Drew Allar, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Washington’s Demond Williams, Illinois’s Luke Altmayer, and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola.
Pate seems to be valuing potential over proven production in his rankings. Of the six quarterbacks he has ahead of Maiava, three have made single-digit college starts—including Sayin, who has just five career completions.
The Trojans could do far worse than having an above average Big Ten quarterback under center this season. However, USC fans are certainly hoping that Pate’s rankings are wrong and that Maiava emerges as one of the top QBs in the conference.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: College football analyst ranks Jayden Maiava as 7th-best QB in Big Ten
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
