Ethan Inman, Trojans WireWed, December 17, 2025 at 1:02 AM UTC·4 min readJayden Maiava is officially going to be back with USC football in 2026.
The Trojans announced that their star quarterback has "re-signed" with the team for the 2026 season on social media on Tuesday.
Maiava's return is special for a lot of reasons and should have Trojan fans feeling great about USC's chances to compete for a national championship in 2026.
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Maiava could have gone to the NFL
Just last week, NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr ranked Jayden Maiava as the No. 9 quarterback on his list of top potential NFL draft prospects.
I think No. 9 is too low, personally. But even if it is accurate and Maiava entered the NFL draft, he almost certainly would have been selected. 13 quarterbacks were picked in 2025 in what was generally considered a weak quarterback class.
Instead of signing his first professional contract and beginning his NFL development, Maiava is trusting USC as the best spot for his future.
Maiava also could have transferred
After the way Maiava played in 2025, there's definitely no shortage of top teams who would theoretically be interested in his services. Had Maiava entered the portal, he would have been one of the top quarterbacks available and definitely garnered some serious money and probably offers from teams that are in the College Football Playoff this season. Plenty of those teams are great at developing quarterback talent.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut Maiava seemingly not only believes in USC for his personal development, but for chasing a national title as well. He wants to win with the Trojans.
In this era, Maiava's loyalty is rare
2026 is now set to be our third season of watching Jayden Maiava play football at USC. He's already delivered Trojan fans so many memories, but there are even more, better moments potentially on the horizon.
Having a great player like Maiava for 3 seasons just isn't a guarantee anymore in this era of NIL and the transfer portal. Remember, Caleb Williams was only in town for 2 seasons. We should make sure that we enjoy every moment of having Maiava.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIf this offseason is anything like last offseason...
Jayden Maiava improved drastically in the 2025 season compared to how he looked in 2024. He was more poised, made better decisions and more accurate throws, cut down on the interceptions, and was one of the main reasons why USC was competitive in every game it played. It was clear that Lincoln Riley and Luke Huard worked their magic with Maiava this offseason.
Now just imagine how good Maiava can be in 2026 with another full offseason of training under his belt. He seems poised to be one of the best players in college football and a Heisman favorite.
Don't get caught up on Longstreet
Some fans may be a little annoyed that Maiava's return means Husan Longstreet will have to wait another year for his chance to play quarterback at USC. Or, that he may feel the need to transfer elsewhere now that he likely won't see the field much in 2026.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLet's just let things play out before we jump to those kinds of conclusions. Longstreet could stay and wait his turn. He could also transfer and turn out to be a bust. USC has a sure star in Maiava, and it would only benefit the Trojans to let Longstreet develop another year.
USC is loading up for 2026
And it's not just Maiava sticking around, by the way. Waymond Jordan, Zacharyus Williams, Ryon Sayeri, Killian O'Connor, Tanook Hines, Prophet Brown, Justin Taunanuu, Marcelles Williams, Jadyn Walker, Christian Pierce and Braylan Shelby have all officially announced they are returning to USC in 2026.
Each of them were key players for USC in 2025, or in the case of Brown and Zacharyus Williams, key players on paper who missed the bulk of the season due to injury.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThey'll be joined by the No. 1 2026 recruiting class. USC should have one of the most loaded rosters in college football. But none of the players who have signed with USC for next season are afraid of that competition.
It seems like USC has inspired them all to buy in to chasing a national championship in 2026.
The fact that Maiava is willing to delay his potential NFL career to rejoin the Trojans in 2026 says a lot, maybe more than any of USC's commitments or recommitments thus far.
So get excited. I think we have some special Maiava magic in store for 2026.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football announces Jayden Maiava will return to Trojans in 2026
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