Lincoln Riley’s offense is known for producing stars, but the rigid four-game redshirt rule is creating a dilemma that could cost him his next one. Freshman QB Husan Longstreet arrived at USC with a stacked high school portfolio. However, sitting behind Jayden Maiava, he saw limited reps, waiting for his chance. But will he wait for much longer? So far, he has played 15 snaps, and head coach Lincoln Riley already regrets that he could have played him more.

“When you’re in that four-game redshirt world, you’re trying to decide as you go through it, do you use that or not? Riley said. “And we certainly would have liked to have played him more, and without the redshirt deal, we would have.”

Husan Longstreet was down to business as soon as he arrived at the Trojans’ locker room in the spring. Competing with Jayden Maiava for the starting gig, he proved his merit. But HC Lincoln Riley chose to move forward with his veteran. While Maiava steered the offense, Longstreet chipped in three touchdowns over four appearances in his backup role. Now, the regular season has ended. And Longstreet is likely to go for a redshirt, preserving his eligibility.

In the 2025 season, Husan Longstreet saw limited action, but with Jayden Maiava’s NFL chatter, he had a shot at QB1 for the next season. However, Lincoln Riley is not ready to let go of his star QB1 yet. After a 7-6 in 2024, the Trojans were coming up big, holding a 9-3 record. And Maiava had been a huge part of that winning drive.

“He has played against good groups,” Riley talked of his Maiava earlier. “We have continued to score points and win a lot of the games, and have one of the best offenses in the country, and he’s been a big part of that.”

Maiava led the Trojans to a nine-win season, but his inaccuracy has plagued him all season long. With eight interceptions, he completed 66% of his passes. On the other hand, backup quarterback Husan Longstreet completed 86.7% of his passes, including a perfect nine-of-nine attempts against the Missouri State Bears. Post-game, Riley praised Longstreet, saying, “he was pretty steady and ran with the ball.” And that was it.

Riley was high on Husan’s potential during his recruitment. Although his senior high school year had been cut short by an injury, he recorded an impressive 24 touchdowns for over 3,000 yards and another seven scores.

On one hand, Lincoln has a seasoned QB in Maiava, and on the other, he has an electric freshman showing potential. Will Longstreet receive his shot?

Will Husan Longstreet remain at USC?

So far, Jayden Maiava has not yet commented on his NFL chatter. When asked about his future plans, he simply shrugged off the question, saying he was enjoying the UCLA win at the moment and refused to comment on his 2026 plan.

Of late, there’s uncertainty about whether Maiava will return for the 2026 season. And if he does, where does it put Husan Longstreet? Will he wait another year, waiting for his chance, or enter the portal looking for greener pastures?

“For any player, especially a quarterback, I don’t know if this would be the right time to leave this place,” Riley said. “This thing is getting pretty good. And I think a lot of people recognize that, both in what we have now and what we’re bringing in, where this thing is going.”

Along with an improved record, the Trojans boast the No. 1 Class of 2026 recruiting class. It will be interesting to see what the next couple of weeks bring for USC’s future QB class.