Jayden Ikaika Maiava (born April 6, 2004) is an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

. He previously played for the

UNLV Rebels The UNLV Rebels are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The Rebels compete in the NCAA Division I (NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Footb ...

Early life

Maiava attended Liberty High School in

Henderson, Nevada Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about southeast of downtown Las Vegas. It is the List of cities in Nevada, 2nd most populous city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with 317,610 residents. The city is part of the Las Vegas V ...

. He also attended Sierra Vista High School in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and

Kaimuki High School Kaimuki High School is a comprehensive four-year, co-educational high school accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, and falls under the jurisdiction of the ...

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. With Kaimuki in 2019, Maiava threw for 3,317 yards and 41 touchdowns. A three-star recruit, Maiava committed to play

at the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...

over offers from Auburn,

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

College career

UNLV

After redshirting in 2022, Maiava began the 2023 season as a backup. After an injury to Doug Brumfield against Vanderbilt, Maiava led UNLV to a comeback victory, throwing for 261 yards and combining for two touchdowns. The following week against

UTEP The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, it is the third oldest academic component of the University of Texas Syste ...

, he made his first career start leading UNLV to a 45–28 victory. 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. 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. However, Maiava went back on this decision on January 1, 2024, announcing that he would be entering the

transfer portal The NCAA transfer portal is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) application, database, and compliance tool created to manage and facilitate the process for student athletes seeking to transfer between member institutions. It is in ...

USC

On January 8, 2024, Maiava announced that would be transferring to the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

to play for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

. However, the following day, he announced that he had flipped his commitment to the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

to play for the

. Entering the 2024 season, Maiava was named as the backup to Miller Moss. 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. In his first start with the Trojans against

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, he threw for 249 yards and totaled four touchdowns, three passing and one rushing, leading USC to a 28–20 victory. 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.

Statistics

References

External links

UNLV Rebels bioUSC Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maiava, Jayden Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Players of American football from Honolulu American football quarterbacks UNLV Rebels football players USC Trojans football players Pacific Islander American players of American football American sportspeople of Samoan descent