Matt Leinart doesn’t want to get too excited about USC just yet, but there are many reasons why the SoCal icon is feeling particularly bullish about the 2025 Trojans and believes they can make the College Football Playoff.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava is chief among them.
In the latest episode of the “Joel Klatt Show,” Leinart said he’s “in love” with how Maiava has played so far to start the season and believes that he resembles the quarterbacks Lincoln Riley had during his time at Oklahoma.
“He’s a pass-first guy, which I love, but he can run and make plays, so he can stress a defense,” Leinart said. “He can improvise. He had a great play last week against Michigan State, where he had [two rushing] touchdowns. However he is additionally superb from the pocket. He isn’t turning the soccer over.
“Lincoln lastly has a quarterback, type of like what he had [with] a Baker [Mayfield] and a few of these guys in Oklahoma, that simply matches all the pieces he is doing. And now rapidly, we’re seeing all of it come to fruition.”
In fact, Maiava isn’t the primary proficient quarterback that Riley has had in his 4 seasons at USC. Caleb Williams received the Heisman in Riley’s first season at USC in 2022 earlier than turning into the No. 1 general decide within the draft. However Leinart defined that Maiava is a cheerful medium between Williams and 2024 starter Miller Moss, saying that Maiava’s talent set permits the Trojans to play extra inside Riley’s system and run the ball greater than they’ve lately.
“I believe the quarterback actually issues on this dialogue,” Leinart stated. “Woody Marks was implausible, however they might get away and rapidly, it is like they’re throwing the ball 4 or 5 instances in a row. Like, why? Possibly there wasn’t as a lot of a belief on the offensive line, the quarterback play and all of that.”
As Leinart famous, USC has been extremely efficient on the bottom this season. The Trojans are averaging 252.3 speeding yards per recreation — Twelfth-most within the nation — and their 7.1 yards per carry ranks second amongst all Energy 4 applications.
Whereas Maiava has contributed to the bottom recreation, working again Waymond Jordan has been the catalyst of the Trojans’ speeding assault thus far. He has rushed for 443 yards on a formidable 7.8 yards per carry, going for 157 yards on 8.7 yards per carry towards Michigan State.
Waymond Jordan (left) and Jayden Maiava have helped USC’s offense to grow to be one of the crucial potent within the nation thus far this season. (Carlin Stiehl/ Los Angeles Occasions by way of Getty Photographs)
Leinart stated that he thinks Jordan has an actual shot at successful the Heisman this season, however he had the offensive and defensive traces among the many prime the explanation why this USC workforce may be completely different from those in latest reminiscence.
“Offensive line is taking part in very well. They give the impression of being extra bodily,” Leinart stated. “Now, time will inform after they begin to play — they received Illinois, Michigan and Notre Dame arising on the schedule. They give the impression of being extra bodily, I believe.
“However I believe the line of defense is the largest factor for me and we get an opportunity to see these groups in particular person, and typically you may simply inform instantly. You’ll be able to inform the way in which they appear, the way in which they transfer, the athleticism. … USC has lastly gotten to that time. Seeing them this weekend and standing in the long run zone the place the D-lineman and O-lineman go. I am like, ‘Dude, lastly we received some dudes now.’ They’re younger. They want extra depth and have to proceed to recruit, however they received some guys.
“I believe the rationale for optimism is we’re quite a bit higher up entrance, on either side of the ball.”
To Leinart’s level, USC has allowed simply three sacks and 16 pressures thus far this season, per Professional Soccer Focus. Final season, the Trojans gave up 15 sacks, however their quarterbacks have been pressured 139 instances over 13 video games.
Defensively, USC has already recorded 16 sacks — tied for essentially the most within the nation and simply 5 shy of its whole from all of final season. The Trojans are additionally producing much more stress, averaging 21 quarterback pressures per recreation in comparison with 14.3 a 12 months in the past, per Professional Soccer Focus — a soar of almost 50%.
Braylan Shelby leads USC in sacks this season with 3.5. (Picture by Greg Fiore/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs)
Including to Leinart’s level, Joel Klatt talked about that the literal dimension of USC’s linemen this 12 months is greater than final 12 months’s. The typical weight of USC’s first and second-string defensive linemen this 12 months is 300 kilos, which is up from their common weight of 278 final 12 months, Klatt stated.
Not solely has that dimension been obvious to Klatt, who will name Saturday’s recreation between USC and Illinois (midday ET on FOX and the FOX Sports activities app), but it surely’s additionally made the Trojans a sneaky contender.
“I believe USC is way more for actual than anyone is giving them credit score for across the nation,” Klatt stated. “I believe they’re underrated.”
And whereas Klatt thinks USC is underrated, Leinart isn’t underrating the Trojans’ possibilities to make the CFP.
“I believe they’re a 10-2, 11-1 workforce in the event that they proceed to play the way in which they’re,” Leinart stated. “Let’s imagine they have not performed anyone this and that — they’re dominating in each side of the sport, they usually’ve improved in each space of the sport.”
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