Inside Jayden Maiava’s quest to become a complete QB for USC

When John Beck first watched Jayden Maiava throw a football up close this summer, he could see pretty quickly why USC might hang its hopes on Maiava’s rocket right arm.

“He spins the ball really well,” Beck said. “The talent is there. The ability is there.”

Few are as qualified as Beck to make that assessment. A former NFL quarterback and private quarterbacks coach for 3DQB, he has helped fine tune some of the best passers in the sport, from Tom Brady and Drew Brees to Matthew Stafford and Justin Herbert. And this summer, over “a handful” of sessions at 3DQB’s training facility in Huntington Beach, Beck turned his attention to the mechanics of the Trojans’ starting quarterback.

Beck already had a general idea of how Maiava had risen into the starting role. He knew after impressing as a freshman at Nevada Las Vegas that Maiava had transferred to USC, where, last season, he started at quarterback over the final four games. He knew, too, that USC won three of those four, all while Maiava’s performance oscillated between breathtaking and anxiety-inducing.

That variability is part of what led Maiava to 3DQB — and to Beck.

As he watched Maiava throw for the first time, Beck saw that spectrum. He noticed certain types of passes weren’t maximizing the potential of Maiava’s arm. The later into the progression, the less efficient his mechanics often would be.

“He would make some throws, and you’d go, ‘Oh wow, there’s some real arm talent there,” Beck said. “Then you’d see some others, and the question would be, ‘Why isn’t that arm talent, that efficiency showing up in the same way on those specific throws?’”

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava warms up during practice on July 30.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

All quarterbacks go through that process, Beck said. And while Maiava has plenty of natural talent at his disposal, he hadn’t worked with a dedicated quarterback coach until last spring. That first private coach, Ryan Porter, told The Times last fall that Maiava was “super raw” and was still digesting USC’s offense at the start of last season.

But as Maiava enters this season as USC’s unquestioned starter, his plan was to do everything to elevate his game. That didn’t stop at working with a private coach. Maiava set out to get stronger, to get faster. He devoured cut-ups of past Lincoln Riley quarterbacks, like Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams. He started reading motivational books, recommended to him by USC’s new strength coach, Trumain Carroll. He even started meditating.

“Just doing anything I can to be smarter and get more knowledge,” Maiava said. “Because knowledge is power.”

When it comes to his mechanics, Riley insists there were no “radical problems” for the folks at 3DQB to fix. Beck said their focus with Maiava was largely on the finer points of his mechanics; like how to be more efficient with your footwork; or how to transfer your weight to deliver different types of throws with the same zip.

Maybe most importantly, they repped Maiava in as many different scenarios as possible.

“They just did a great job of putting me in situations that I could be most prepared for,” the junior quarterback said. “Football is a game with a lot of possibilities. Anything can happen within a play.”

A season ago, that certainly felt the case with Maiava at the helm of USC’s offense. He completed fewer than 60% of his passes and threw six interceptions. Two of those picks sank USC’s hopes of upsetting rival Notre Dame, as the Irish returned both for touchdowns. A month later, in the Las Vegas Bowl, Maiava threw three interceptions before leading a wild comeback win over Texas A&M.

The bowl game ran the full gamut for Maiava, the good and the bad. But in the fourth quarter, he believes he found something that can help him going forward.

One of the books he read this offseason, “Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness” by Tim Grover, stresses the importance of maintaining a “neutral mindset,” never allowing oneself to get too high or too low emotionally.

USC quarterbacks Jayden Maiava, left, and Husan Longstreet, center, take part in passing drills at practice on July 30.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

That resonated with Maiava, who had a tendency to dwell on mistakes. Against Texas A&M, he brushed off his performance in the first three quarters to lead USC on three touchdown drives in the fourth. On the final drive, Maiava completed eight of nine passes for 78 yards, including the winning touchdown, with eight seconds remaining.

“That’s something I like to reflect on,” Maiava said. “Just having that neutral mindset and going out there for that last drive.”

That’s the version of himself Maiava is hoping to hold on to this season. So far, the difference in him has been distinct, according to teammates and coaches.

“You can just feel Jayden being more comfortable in his own skin and more comfortable being one of the leaders of this football team and operating this offense,” said Luke Huard, USC offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “You just feel an improved and elevated level of confidence with the way he’s going about his business.”

That was the goal when Maiava set out this summer to take himself seriously — reading and meditating and drilling down the finer points of the position.

“This was his first opportunity to really be trained like a pro,” Beck said.

“Now, it’s just about tying it all together.”