Joel Klatt Put a USC QB in His Top 10 for 2026 and the Ranking Is Already Turning Heads

Jayden Maiava is about to carry a lot of weight on his shoulders this fall. And FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt just made it official: the USC quarterback is one of the ten best in the country heading into the 2026 season.

Klatt dropped his preseason top 10 QB list this week, and Maiava landed at No. 7. That’s ahead of some pretty big names — Darian Mensah at Miami, Josh Hoover at Indiana, Sam Leavitt at LSU. The ranking puts the Trojans’ signal-caller squarely in the national conversation, which is exactly where Lincoln Riley wants him.

Riley hasn’t been shy about his belief in Maiava. He told On3’s Wilson Alexander that the kid has made more progress over the last two years than any quarterback he can remember coaching. That’s not nothing, coming from a guy who developed Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Caleb Williams.

Maiava transferred in from UNLV and took over the offense last season. He threw for 3,711 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, completing almost 66 percent of his passes. Solid numbers. But Klatt noted that the production will need to tick up if USC wants to crash the expanded College Football Playoff. You don’t get in on potential alone anymore.

The pressure is real in Los Angeles

This is Riley’s fifth year at USC. The national championship expectations are as loud as they’ve ever been. And all of that weight falls on Maiava’s right arm. He’s a redshirt senior now, fully embedded in Riley’s system for a second straight season. No more settling in. Time to deliver.

The Trojans return a veteran offensive line and a backfield that can take some heat off the passing game. But the College Football Playoff field is deeper now, and the margin for error is thin. A loss to the wrong team in September could be the difference between a top seed and watching from home.

Klatt’s list reflects a college football landscape reshaped by the transfer portal. Guys hop schools, land in new systems, and suddenly become Heisman candidates. Maiava is part of that wave. But the ranking also puts a target on his back. Every defense USC faces this year will know where Klatt placed him.

Maiava has the arm. He has the coach. He has the supporting cast. What he doesn’t have yet is a signature win that proves the hype is real. That starts this fall.