Former UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava’s transfer to USC is officially official after a pen hit the paper on Thursday night. His chaotic recruitment is over after a wild back-and-forth flip-flop.
Maiava, a redshirt freshman this past season, burst onto the scene after beginning the year as the backup for the Rebels. An injury to the starter thrust him into the staring role and he blossomed into a star.
The former three-star recruit out of Honolulu threw for 3,085 yards and 17 touchdowns without an interception while running for 277 yards and three scores. His impressive season led him to be named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year.
As is often the case in the new era of college football, Maiava hit the transfer portal after his breakout season in search of a larger program. Name, Image and Likeness opportunity also played a role.
Maiava knows his worth and leveraged his talent into financial stability comfortability.
Jayden Maiava’s NIL reps got a deal done with USC after a flip-flop.
All signs pointed toward a commitment to USC during the early stages of his recruitment. However, in a surprising twist, Maiava first committed to Georgia and was slated to serve as Carson Beck’s backup.
And then, just a few days later, his decision flipped back to the Trojans. Maiva’s NIL representation, NILX, first announced the commitment.
It became official on Thursday evening when the ink dried. D.J. Uiagalelei’s father was actually the one who made it public!
For an NIL agency to get a shoutout for a “job well done” indicates what was really going on. Finances were presumably a large component to Maiava’s recruitment.
One theory would suggest that Maiava received a comfortable offer from USC out of the gates. Georgia might have presented a similar or greater number. NILX could then use that proposal as leverage.
This is the new era! College football is a professional sport.
NIL contracts have essentially created free agency. Maiava’s recruitment appears to be the perfect exemplification of the modern approach to the transfer portal and how money can impact decisions.