Maiava in Rare USC Air With Golden Arm Award Nomination

Jayden Maiava, like many USC quarterbacks before him, is a fixture of the college football awards scene. 

Maiava has been named to the Maxwell Award Watch List, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Watch List, the Davey O'Brien Award Watch List, the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List, the Allstate AFCA Goodworks Team, and the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. He has also been nominated for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year. 

Yet among all those awards, the one that is the crown jewel among USC quarterbacks and seemingly the key predictor for a fruitful professional future is the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. 

The selection committee narrows down the list of candidates for the award as the season goes on. The finalists will be named and a winner will be announced at the annual Golden Arm Award ceremony in Baltimore on Wednesday, Dec. 9. 

Maiava was recently named among the candidates and should he win, he will be the fourth USC quarterback to win the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Rodney Peete was the first to win the award in 1988, followed by Carson Palmer in 2022, and Matt Leinart in 2005. 

All three quarterbacks went on to have lengthy careers in the National Football League. Maybe Maiava is following the same trajectory. He has thrown for more passing yards and touchdowns than Palmer, and Caleb Williams through the first six weeks of their Heisman Trophy-winning campaigns. 

Maiava enters the Trojans’ Oct. 10 matchup against Penn State as the Big Ten leader in passing yards with 1,744, passing touchdowns with 15, and was responsible for USC’s 104 points. He also scored two more touchdowns on the run. 

Maiava ranks second among the Trojans all-time in yards per attempt with 8.7, which is comparable to Williams’ 9.2 yards per attempt, and slightly more than Leinart’s 8.6 and Sam Darnold holds the No. 4 spot with 8.5 yards per attempt.

Maiava is in his third season with the Trojans after spending his freshman season at UNLV in 2023. He threw for over 3,700 yards and 24 touchdowns last season and is trending toward passing both statistical benchmarks this season. 

The Trojans went 3-0 through a non-conference slate that functioned more like a preseason. The Trojans fell to No. 20 Oregon 41-27 at home a couple of weeks ago, which has left head coach Lincoln Riley vulnerable to the angst of the fan base. 

Narrowly defeating Washington 25-21 last week righted the ship for the Trojans, who are 2-1 in conference play. If the Ducks can survive a loss to Oklahoma State, the Trojans can make it with Oregon representing their lone loss. 

The Trojans face a Penn State team that is desperate to save its season after dropping back-to-back games to Wisconsin and Northwestern.