Take Jayden Maiava off USC's roster and the first thing you'd miss is 3,711 pass YDS, 2,500-yd club.
6′4″ · 230 lb · Las Vegas, NV · Liberty HS / UNLV
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Operates within the system without forcing anything.
EPA / dropback: 96th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
passing yards · 2026
10 TD · 1 INT · 10.8 per attempt
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 261 yds · 5 TD -- top 1% passing TDs game. -- Best game: 261 pass yds, 5 TD, 1 INT, vs Louisiana
The play that turned itSwung USC from 21% to 59% to win.USC at Notre Dame · 34-24
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 quarterback for USC. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Aura™ · Him Watch
-28aura tax
99th pctl our passing-value metric (wEPA) QBs · 160 qualified, n=127
— the tape outruns the hype.Buzz vs Tape
His own fans read him warmer than the wider college football conversation does — a gap of 33.9 points in belief.
Also worth knowing:
“Jayden Maiava wins the Heisman - USC makes the CFP.”
Jayden Maiava
Jayden Maiava is a cornerstone for USC — measured against the line he joined.
PASS YDS · 2,500-YD CLUB
3,711
3711 passing yards — clears the 2,500-QB volume bar.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
The snaps went the other way.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-BIG TEN
All-Big Ten mention (2025)
FRESHMAN HONORS
Freshman recognition (2023)
5 mention(s)
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Lincoln Riley.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: epa / dropback (96th percentile). Strength: success rate (96th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
Adjusted ANY/A
12.364 of 75 QBsSack rate
1.2%7 of 75 QBsRarely sacked (7 of 75 QBs) and still 4 of 75 in Adjusted ANY/A.
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
Overall 79.8% completion on 84 attempts · 51% of attempts thrown 0–9 air yds.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 299 | 3.3 | 11.0 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 299 | 3.3 | 11.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lincoln Riley
Pass share
46.0%
97 pass / 114 run
Plays / game
70.3
3 games
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Our Heisman model has him in the top five; no finalist honor is on the books yet.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Heisman market2.8%full market ›
In the mix to repeat All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #2 of 19 Big Ten QBs
49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 49–30
vs Louisiana
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-26vs San José State | 25/29 | 286 | 2 | 0 | 9.9 | 90.0 | Season-high 349 yds |
| Wk 1 | W 39-0vs Fresno State | 23/25 | 349 | 3 | 0 | 14.0 | 98.0 | Season-high 349 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 49-30vs Louisiana | 19/29 | 261 | 5 | 1 | 9.0 | — | 5 TD passes |
| Total | 67/83 | 896 | 10 | 1 | 11.0 | 94.0 |
Play style
Operates within the system without forcing anything.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
USC
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Quarterback · USC
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
USC · Last season: 9-4 (AP #16) · Talent rank #9 · 2026 recruiting class #1
Player DNA
Balanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Joe Burrow’s 2019 season.
Matches Joe on
Differs from Joe on
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Skylar John Thompson’s path through Kansas State.
Matches Skylar on
Differs from Skylar on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Hendon Hooker's senior season at Tennessee (2021).
Differs from Hendon on
Player DNA
Heisman futures · sportsbook market
#9 in market ▲ from #12 · 6 books
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #4 — sustained finalist conversation.
CAREER: Throughout his three-year career (one season at UNLV and two at USC) has gone 590-of-925 (63.8%) for 7,997 yards with 52 TDs and 26 INTs through action in 34 games with 31 career starts. He has recorded 147 carries for 479 yards (3.3 avg.) with 13 TDs. As a Trojan, he has hit 63.9% of his...