USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava was eligible to enter the NFL Draft last year, but he wisely decided to return to school. His statistical numbers were definitely there, and he might have indeed been a mid-round pick, had he entered the 2026 draft.
However, the Honolulu, Hawaii native opted-in to the Alamo Bowl last season, for a game that almost all of his key teammates opted-out of.
Maiava committed to play, performed very well in the postseason game, and then returned for another season with the Trojans.
Right now, he's solidly projected to a be a day two selection, and he's on pretty much everybody's top ten QB list for the 2027 draft. He's got prototypical size and throws a great deep ball, but he's still pretty turnover **** e.
Not to mention he also needs to work on improving how he works through his progressions.

#pretty