Lincoln Riley addresses decision to name Miller Moss the starting quarterback

USC named Miller Moss the team’s starting quarterback on Monday, ending a competition that ran for the better part of eight months.

Moss beat out redshirt sophomore Jayden Maiava for the job, earning coach Lincoln Riley‘s trust. Riley explained the decision to make the call on Tuesday afternoon.

“We felt like we got to a point where we’d seen enough of the guys and just felt like that that was the right decision for the team,” Riley said. “It was close. It was close. Give Miller a lot of credit, I think he improved and handled the competition well.”

While Miller Moss was always the favorite to win the job, Maiava apparently made it a very tough call for Riley and company. Maiava himself is a former lightly recruited three-star prospect out of Honolulu, transferring from UNLV to USC this spring.

Riley had nothing but praise for the guy who will likely take over now as the backup.

“Jaden Maiava improved drastically, which I think we all expected there would be some improvement,” Riley said. “It was a major, major jump for him and really proud of how he handled the competition. I mean he was right there neck and neck with him the entire time, which was a big move from the spring. You could tell his familiarity with the offense certainly helped.”

Riley also praised Jake Jensen. But nobody was quite as good as Miller Moss during camp.

“Consistently Miller was still the best and still the guy that we feel like gives this team the best chance to win and play well,” Riley said. “He’s built up the momentum from the bowl game and from the spring and I think is playing at a high level and has done it very consistently. I think it’s his consistency every day as a player, as a leader, operating the offense, that is certainly part of what makes him the player that he is.”

Moss was excellent in that bowl game Riley referenced, a DirecTV Holiday Bowl against Louisville. Playing in Caleb Williams‘ stead, Miller Moss went 23-of-33 passing for 372 yards and six touchdowns, against just one interception.

If the Trojans get that kind of production all year they’ll likely be a playoff contender.

But even in the event something happens to Moss, Riley now feels good about the team’s prospects thanks to Maiava’s development.

“Extremely. Extremely comfortable. I’d go play anybody with him the way that he practiced and competed,” Riley said. “He’s a talented kid, he’s got a really bright future here, there’s no doubt about that. It was a great battle. And that’s typically, the rooms I’ve been in when there are great battles it makes both guys better. And I think you could certainly say that about this competition.”