Jayden Maiava

Jayden Maiava
Maiava ahead of the 2024 Vegas Kickoff Classic
No. 14 – USC Trojans
PositionQuarterback
ClassRedshirt Senior
Personal information
Born (2004-04-06) April 6, 2004
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolLiberty (Henderson, Nevada)
College
  • UNLV (2022–2023)
  • USC (2024–present)
Awards and highlights
Stats at ESPN

Jayden Ikaika Maiava (/maɪɑːvə/ my-AH-vuh; born April 6, 2004) is an American college football quarterback for the USC Trojans. He previously played for the UNLV Rebels.

Early life

Maiava was born on April 6, 2004, in Honolulu, Hawa'ii. He grew up in Pālolo, Hawaii in a household with over 20 members of his extended family.[1] Maiava initially moved to Nevada in 2018, where he spent his freshman year of high school at Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas, before moving back to Hawaii where he attended Kaimuki High School in Honolulu.[2] With Kaimuki in 2019, Maiava threw for 3,317 yards and 41 touchdowns.[3] Following the cancellation of the Kaimuki's season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maiava returned to Nevada in 2021, attending Liberty High School in Henderson.[4] During his senior season at Henderson, he threw for 2,027 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, with an appearance in the Nevada state title game, where they fell short against Bishop Gorman High School.[5] A three-star recruit, Maiava committed to play college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas over offers from Auburn, Louisville, and Tennessee.[6]

College career

UNLV

Maiava with UNLV in 2023

After redshirting in 2022, Maiava began the 2023 season as a backup.[7] After an injury to Doug Brumfield against Vanderbilt, Maiava led UNLV to a comeback victory, throwing for 261 yards and combining for two touchdowns.[8][9] The following week against UTEP, he made his first career start leading UNLV to a 45–28 victory.[10] After finishing the regular season passing for 2,626 yards and 14 touchdowns, Maiava was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year and to the all-conference second team.[11] Following the conclusion of the regular season, he announced that he would be returning to UNLV the following season, despite speculation that he would transfer.[12][13] However, Maiava went back on this decision on January 1, 2024, announcing that he would be entering the transfer portal.[14][15]

USC

On January 8, 2024, Maiava announced that would be transferring to the University of Georgia to play for the Georgia Bulldogs.[16][17] However, the following day, he announced that he had flipped his commitment to the University of Southern California to play for the USC Trojans.[18] Entering the 2024 season, Maiava was named as the backup to Miller Moss.[19] After a 4–5 start to the season, Moss was benched, and Maiava was named the starter, becoming the first Polynesian quarterback to start at USC.[20][21] In his first start with the Trojans against Nebraska, he threw for 249 yards and totaled four touchdowns, three passing and one rushing, leading USC to a 28–20 victory.[22][23] In the 2024 Las Vegas Bowl, Maiava threw for 295 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions, leading the Trojans to a 35–31 comeback victory.[24][25]

Maiava led a strong start for the Trojans in 2025, piloting a 4–0 start to their season.[26] USC suffered their first loss of the season against Illinois 34–32, where Maiava completed 30 of 43 passes for 364 yards, two touchdowns, both to wide receiver Makai Lemon, and one interception.[27] Following a win against Michigan, Maiava and the trojans would fall short against rival Notre Dame, where he threw two touchdowns and two interceptions.[28] After a win streak of three games, where Maiava compiled a total of 688 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, Maiava and the Trojans would fall to Oregon.[29] USC would make an appearance in the Alamo Bowl, where they would lose in overtime to TCU 27–30.[30] In 2025, Maiava finished the season with 3,711 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and was a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award.[31][32]

Statistics

Season Team Games Passing Rushing
GPGSRecordCompAttPctYardsAvgTDIntRateAttYardsAvgTD
2022 UNLV Redshirt Redshirt
2023 UNLV 14117–422435363.53,0858.71710147.1732773.83
2024 USC 743–110116959.81,2017.1116133.820452.34
2025 USC 13139–426540365.83,7119.22410157.8541572.96
2026 USC 000–0000.000.0000.0000.00
Career[33]302416−859092563.87,9978.65226149.31474793.313

Personal life

Maiava's uncle, Kaluka Maiava, played linebacker at USC from 2005 to 2008. His great-grandfather is professional wrestler Neff Maiava.[34]

Maiava is of Samoan descent.[35]

References

  1. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Jayden Maiava's football journey is just getting started". KHON2. October 18, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  3. ↑ "High school top 5: Liberty's Jayden Maiava tops QB list". Las Vegas Review-Journal. August 6, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  4. ↑ Chinen, Kyle (September 18, 2021). "David Tautofi no longer head coach of Kaimuki football". www.hawaiinewsnow.com. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Schedule - Liberty Patriots (Henderson, NV) Football 21-22". www.maxpreps.com. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  6. ↑ Grimala, Mike (July 2, 2021). "Class of 2022 recruit Jayden Maiava could be UNLV's QB of the future". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ Graney, Ed (November 24, 2023). "Ed Graney: The secret to UNLV football's success this season". The Daily Item. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  8. ↑ "UTEP prepares for UNLV's pair of talented quarterbacks". KTSM 9 News. September 20, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Graney: UNLV freshman QB proves he's ready to play". Las Vegas Review-Journal. September 19, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  10. ↑ Abramo, Nick (September 28, 2023). "Former Kaimuki QB Jayden Maiava Leads UNLV To Two Victories". Bedrock Sports Hawaii.
  11. ↑ Seeman, Matthew (November 28, 2023). "UNLV's Barry Odom, Jayden Maiava win Mountain West season awards". KSNV. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  12. ↑ Grimala, Mike (December 25, 2023). "Jayden Maiava is long-term cornerstone for UNLV football". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  13. ↑ "'Run it back': Two key UNLV football players returning next season". Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ Grimala, Mike (January 1, 2024). "UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava reverses course, enters transfer portal". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  15. ↑ "UNLV quarterback calls audible, enters NCAA transfer portal". Las Vegas Review-Journal. January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  16. ↑ Emerson, Seth (January 9, 2024). "Georgia adds transfer QB Jayden Maiava". The Athletic. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Georgia lands commitment from transfer quarterback Jayden Maiava". 95.5 WSB. January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  18. ↑ "QB Maiava flips to USC day after Georgia pledge". ESPN.com. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  19. ↑ Wadleigh, Matt (January 11, 2024). "USC fans are thrilled to have Jayden Maiava as the backup QB to Miller Moss". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  20. ↑ "USC QB Jayden Maiava is an 'inspiration for the people of Hawaii'". Orange County Register. November 15, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  21. ↑ Mitchell, Houston (November 15, 2024). "The Sports Report: Jayden Maiava is set to make history at USC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Jayden Maiava struggles and shines as USC beats Nebraska to revive bowl hopes". Los Angeles Times. November 17, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Jayden Maiava, in first USC start, leads Trojans past Nebraska". Daily News. November 17, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  24. ↑ Keefer, Case (December 28, 2024). "Jayden Maiava conquers Las Vegas Bowl by leading record-setting comeback for USC". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Hawaii's Jayden Maiava rallies USC to beat Texas A&M in Las Vegas Bowl". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. December 28, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  26. ↑ Huff, Micah. "USC and Michigan State were 3-0 teams entering Saturday, but neither played like it". Trojans Wire. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  27. ↑ Press, Associated. "No. 21 USC Football Falls At No. 23 Illinois, 34-32". USC Athletics. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Big Ten | Stats for 2025-10-18 07:30 PM (EDT) | Football | USC Trojans vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish | #59303 | SCHEDULED". Big Ten Conference. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Biggest Takeaways From USC Trojans Jayden Maiava's Performance Vs. Oregon Ducks". USC Trojans On SI. November 23, 2025. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  30. ↑ "2025". Valero Alamo Bowl. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Jayden Maiava Stats 2025". StatMuse. June 18, 2026. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  32. ↑ "USC Quarterback Jayden Maiava Named to 2025 Davey O'Brien Quarterback Class". USC Athletics. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Jayden Maiava College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Jayden Maiava follows in his Polynesian heroes' footsteps when he becomes USC's starting quarterback". AP News. November 14, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Jayden Maiava poised to become the first Polynesian starting quarterback at USC". Los Angeles Times. November 14, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
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