Former UNLV QB switches commitment from Georgia football to Southern Cal
The Georgia football quarterback room is back down to three scholarship players.
A day after former UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava committed to Georgia, he changed his mind and is headed to Southern Cal, his father told ESPN late Tuesday night.
It’s the second time the Bulldogs lost a QB commitment in the past four weeks.
Five-star Dylan Raiola flipped from Georgia to Nebraska before signing day last month.
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The Bulldogs seem to have a clear pecking order at the position entering spring practice with returning starter and 2025 NFL first round prospect Carson Beck, redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton and true freshman Ryan Puglisi.
Maiava was expected to compete with Stockton for the backup job and have a chance to win the starting job in 2025.
Southern Cal coach Lincoln Riley spoke with Maiava, a Hawaii native, on the phone on Tuesday morning after his UGA commitment, according to 247Sports. Maiava will get a chance to compete for the starting job with Miller Moss, who threw for 372 yards and 6 touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl.
Maiava was the Mountain West freshman of the year. He threw for 3,085 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for the Rebels last season while rushing for 277 yards and three touchdowns.
Stockton relieved Beck in the second half of a 63-3 blowout of Florida State in the Orange Bowl, going 6 of 10 for 96 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 46 yards and 7 carries.
Georgia could dip into the transfer portal to add a fourth QB in the spring when the window opens April 16 and runs until April 30.
“Our hard number is four,” coach Kirby Smart said on Dec. 20. “We want to be at four. We're not at four. Again, we'll look at our options and see what we can do there. We would like to be at four, though. That's our goal.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: UNLV QB Jayden Maiava flips from Georgia football to USC Trojans
