Going into the 2025 season, Jayden Maiva was coming to improve on his barrage of picks and pick-sixes in the 4 games he played last season. And just a month ago, Maiava told how a book by Tim Grover, a former sports trainer who had trained players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, is helping the QB massively in gaining mental clarity. “I’ve been reading this book [by] Tim Grover. It’s about winning,” said Maiava, and went on to call meditation a “huge part of” his routine. All of these initiatives surely will reap benefits, since in Week 3, he has a familiar opponent to face!

USC is set to face the Purdue Boilermakers in a Week 3 matchup on the road, and Maiava was asked about the prospect of playing against his former DC in a recent presser. But Maiava isn’t worried as he was “super excited” for the Week 3 challenge. “Super great defense. You know, I played with the DC before at UNLV, so super stoked to go up against them. Can’t wait. They’re a great team. Yeah, super excited,” declared Jayden Maiava. At UNLV, Mike Scherer was Jayden Maiava’s DC for one season, the same guy who is in charge of the defense for Purdue now.

The path at UNLV wasn’t too easy for Maiava, considering Doug Brumfield was the starting QB under head coach Barry Odom. But after Brumfield’s injury against Vanderbilt in 2023, Maiava, a redshirt freshman, grabbed the chance hard and has never looked back ever since. Moreover, there’s no love lost between his former coach and Maiava. “Just a wonderful young man — great family, and he was a lot of fun to coach. He’s had great success at USC. Looks like he’s continued to develop his game, both throwing, reading defenses, and running the complete way that quarterbacks do. He can make any throw there is on the field. He’s a tough runner — a great competitor,” said Barry Odom about Maiava.

Maiava, despite his much-talked-about picks, was the difference maker for Lincoln Riley last year after the USC head coach decided to bench Miller Moss. The QB won 3 of the 4 games he started, including a Bowl game win against Texas A&M, coming out of the season with 1,201 passing yards. But this year, having already played 2 games for USC, Jayden Maiava is a different beast! And that’s probably the reason why Mike Scherer, Maiava’s UNLV DC, has a plan for the QB.

Barry Odom shows caution about playing against Jayden Maiava after an emotional message

The Trojans, led by Maiava under center, won their Week 1 and Week 2 games against Missouri State and Georgia Southern with style. It was a dominant showing as Maiava passed for 295 yards for 2 touchdowns, along with a rushing touchdown against Missouri State. Whereas against Georgia Southern, Maiava passed for 412 yards, a career-high passing record. The performances, along with Lincoln Riley’s reputation as a ‘QB whisperer,’ are the factors why Maiava is already a dark horse contender for the Heisman. 

“Keep an eye on Jayden Maiava and the Heisman Race. It’s early, but bookmark this,” wrote FOX analyst and former USC QB Matt Leinart. And that’s why Scherer in particular mentioned Maiava’s quality. “He runs their system incredibly well. I know him as a leader. I know what the guys in the locker room think about him, since I’ve been around it.” Maiava’s former head coach, Barry Odom, hated the idea of playing against Jayden Maiava in Week 3.

“I hate to see him on the other side of the field. Any time you’re playing a former player, that’s hard,” said Odom, and summarized his love for Maiava in four words: “Love him to death” as he declared that the duo are “connected forever.” Even so, for Maiava, the Purdue game on the road won’t be easy by any means. For one, in just his first season, Barry Odom has brought in 54 transfers, something that worked for him at UNLV in 2023, as the team achieved 9 wins and a bowl berth in a decade.