Matt Leinart Talks USC, Jayden Maiava, 2025 CFB Season and More in B/R Interview

USC is one of the blueblood programs in college football with a storied past and rich tradition, but it has trended in the wrong direction of late and isn't even in the Associated Press Top 25 to start the new season.

But one of the program's icons believes an immediate turnaround might be in the cards.

"They were close in a lot of games, they need to learn how to finish the last couple minutes this year and put teams away by making the big play when it matters most," former USC quarterback and current Fox analyst Matt Leinart told Bleacher Report.

"… If they can flip that script, you're looking at a team that can win nine games, maybe 10 games and get into the Playoff. They have that type of talent, they've just got to go do it."

While the Trojans have progressively won fewer games in each of head coach Lincoln Riley's three seasons (11-3 in 2022, 8-5 in 2023 and 7-6 in 2024), the pattern may be somewhat deceiving.

After all, last season's losses to Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State, Maryland and Washington all came by one score. Quarterback Jayden Maiava also provided a spark by taking over during the stretch run and leading the Trojans to wins over Nebraska and UCLA before throwing for 360 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-35 loss to a Notre Dame team that advanced to the national championship game.

He kept that momentum rolling ahead of a new season by throwing for 295 yards and four touchdowns during a win over Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl.

"I got a chance to talk to him last year, and I was so impressed with his humility," Leinart said of Maiava. "He understands being the starting quarterback at USC comes with a lot of pressure and expectations. You've gotta win, you've gotta elevate the team. He has incredible humility about him and a want to be great and to learn and lead this team back to prominence. 

"Now in year two with Lincoln and knowing what Lincoln has done in the past for quarterback development, the sky is the limit. People are sleeping on Jayden a little bit."

Perhaps nobody has thrived under the pressure that comes with being the USC quarterback better than Leinart, who established himself as a pillar in the program's rich history.

His resume includes the 2004 Heisman Trophy, two Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year awards, a BCS national championship, a spot atop the final Associated Press Poll in another season and more than 3,000 passing yards in three different seasons during an era when there weren't as many passing stats that resembled video games.

Even though he was the No. 10 overall pick of the 2006 NFL draft and played for the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders, he remains best known for thriving at USC.

"The relationships," he said when discussing what he remembers most fondly about his collegiate career. "I still have such great relationships with a lot of my teammates. We don't see each other all the time, but when we're together it's the same. We're still making fun of each other, talking smack, but also talking about the games back in the day.

"I just look back and am like, 'gosh, to be able to go on that run that we went on. We won 33 in a row, we won two titles and were very close to winning a third in a row, which has never been done before.' It's hard to build dynasties in college football. To look back and be a part of that with my teammates and what we were able to accomplish is special."

Accomplishing things like that has given Leinart plenty of opportunities away from the field, and he partnered with Abbott to help promote its Ensure Max Protein as the exclusive protein shake of the PPA Tour.

The 42-year-old is particularly focused on spreading awareness of muscle health at this stage of his life.

"As I've gotten older, I love partnering with people who are committed to health and committed to people getting healthier and stronger. It's such an easy partnership, and the people are so amazing. Abbott is a global health leader that is incredible and does so much good.

"... Once you hit 40 you can lose up to eight percent of your muscle every decade. So it's really important to get enough protein and keep that active lifestyle no matter what that is. For me, it's not football anymore but it's playing pickleball, it's chasing my kids, it's coaching. It's constantly staying active. And Ensure Max Protein is a protein shake that does that for me."

Part of the partnership included playing a friendly match of pickleball at a PPA Tour event with 11-time PPA Tour Champion Callie Jo Smith and cooking influencer Adrianna Adarme.

"My pickleball game is very average," Leinart said while laughing. "It's strategic, and I'm competitive. So everything I do, I want to compete to be the best I can be. To be there and play with Callie Jo—who is just incredible and a great pickleball player and unbelievable human being—and partner to get this message across was incredible. It was just fun, and it's always fun for me to be around the sport and see these incredible athletes play."

He will get the chance to see some incredible athletes play in a different sport as a national college football analyst who is part of the network's Big Noon Kickoff show that travels to some of the biggest games in the country every week.

And Fox is jumping right into the new season with a marquee showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State as part of a loaded Week 1 schedule that includes No. 8 Alabama at Florida State, No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson and No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami.

"I love the early matchups," Leinart said. "We have Texas and Ohio State in Week 1. There are incredible games to just set the tone. So right away, we're going to see who is ready. 

"I also personally love the fans. I love being on the road and getting the chance to interact with them. It's the best thing about college football. The pageantry, the tradition, the love and passion that these fanbases have for their schools. I love being in the middle of it. It never gets old."

That clash between Ohio State and Texas is a rematch of last season's College Football Playoff semifinals, although Will Howard and Quinn Ewers were the respective quarterbacks. It will be different this time around with Arch Manning leading the Longhorns and Julian Sayin presumably leading the Buckeyes.

They are part of a larger pattern around the country of top programs breaking in new starting signal-callers, such as Alabama with Ty Simpson and Michigan with Bryce Underwood.

"A very interesting storyline for me is, outside of Penn State with Drew Allar coming back, the new faces and new quarterbacks," Leinart said. "You have a lot of new faces at storied programs that are all breaking in new quarterbacks, which can level the playing field. I always think that's fascinating to see who takes the next step right away. And maybe they all do because they're all part of great programs."

But having an experienced option like Allar could make the difference in the national championship race, especially for a Penn State program looking to take the next step after last season's three-point loss to Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals.

It was the Nittany Lions' third straight season with double-digit wins, and they responded by bringing back a number of key pieces, including Allar and running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

That could put them next in line as a veteran-laden Big Ten team to win a national championship after Michigan and Ohio State lifted the sport's ultimate trophy by following the same blueprint.

"I think Penn State has a shot," Leinart said while not fully committing to a national championship prediction and also shouting out Clemson as a contender. "If you go back to the last two champions in Ohio State and Michigan, very similar stories where all their players came back for unfinished business. It doesn't guarantee you'll win, but you have that experience, you have that maturity, you have that common goal and a vision with great leadership. 

"… Penn State is very similar. Drew Allar came back, the running backs are back, they went out and got Jim Knowles, who was incredible at Ohio State, as the DC. The signs are there. They've been a team that's gotten really, really close, and this may be the year they get over the hump."

Nittany Lions fans certainly hope that is the case.