USC's Rivals Outshine Jayden Maiava at Manning Passing Academy
From June 25 through June 28, the Manning Passing Academy (MPA) held its 30th annual camp in Thibodaux, Louisiana. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava was invited as a counselor, along with 19 other NFL prospects and rising stars. Although Maiava's service as a counselor put him with an elite alumni group while receiving high-level coaching, it appears that the red-shirt senior may have fallen victim to the double-edged sword that the camp provides: media exposure.
Following the camp, other quarterbacks seemed to have raised their stock while Maiava was overshadowed.
CJ Carr and Julian Sayin
USC's rival signal callers – CJ Carr and Julian Sayin – were the main quarterbacks to outshine Maiava during the camp.
The Notre Dame quarterback came away with the biggest boost. Per Tyler Horka of Blue and Gold News and On3, Carr was selected to go first for almost every drill so that he may be the example to the other campers.
"It was wild to see what's between his ears, in terms of the game of football, and then to watch him throw the football. Whether it was the one-on-one's, whether it was the Eli and Peyton stuff…that was the indicator, when Eli and Peyton know who the guy is," NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay said during his latest podcast. "In terms of just hitting targets and being on, Carr jumped out to me in every way, shape or form."
Sayin was also able to rebuild his image. After losing to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship game and struggling against Miami in the College Football playoffs, Sayin showed off his tool set – deep-ball accuracy and mechanics – as well as a bigger frame.
Maiava's Performance at MPA
According to Cooper Petagna of CBS Sports, the Trojan quarterback's arm strength failed to impress during reps.
"Somewhat of a mechanical thrower, the ball doesn't jump out of his hand -- especially when surrounded by peers -- and he can struggle to generate consistent velocity into the intermediate and deep parts of the field," Petagna wrote. "An intriguing name bandied about for the 2027 NFL Draft, arm strength figures to be a big question mark heading into next season."
Maiava also fell off On3's "MPA Standouts" list. Trinidad Chambliss (No. 3), Arch Manning (No. 5), John Mateer (No. 6), Marcel Reed (No. 8) and Kamario Taylor (No. 10) represented the SEC, the Big 12 had two representatives in Drew Mestemaker (No. 7) and Conner Weigman (No. 11), while sleepers like Jerry Kaminski made a name for themselves.
Sayin was the lone Big Ten quarterback at No. 9.
Although Maiava's performance at MPA does not make-or-break his final season, it unfortunately knocks him down a few pegs on the NFL prospect totem pole. The 2027 NFL Draft is expecting top-names like Carr, Sayin, Manning, Mateer, Dante Moore, LaNorris Sellers, Mestemaker, Darian Mensah, Chambliss and CJ Baily. Lower-tier passers such as Josh Hoover, Sam Leavitt, DJ Lagway, Drake Lindsey and Nico Iamaleava could also declare.
With NIL and a crowded quarterback class, it's possible many names choose to forgo the draft for one more run in college. Unfortunately for Maiava, passed on the 2026 NFL Draft to play his final year at Southern Cal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as USC's Rivals Outshine Jayden Maiava at Manning Passing Academy.
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This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 7:00 PM.