Makai Lemon's, Jayden Maiava's award efforts overshadowed by Caleb Williams' theatrics

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Before USC football and its Jayden Maiava-Makai Lemon combo play their biggest game of 2025, let’s gain some perspective. Because this USC-Oregon game is USC’s biggest since 2022, let’s look back at one of the Trojans‘ biggest games from the 2022 season, against Notre Dame at home. That game will forever be remembered as the game that Caleb Williams won the Heisman.

It’s also the game in which USC secured a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game and established control over its CFP destiny, but most people want to forget how that trip to Vegas went against Utah. Trojan fans will remember that it secured Caleb’s trip to New York.

It wasn’t Caleb Williams’ best game of the season throwing the football, but it was the game where Williams scored the most. He called his own number. He rushed for three touchdowns. Notably, he hit the signature Heisman pose after his first rushing touchdown.

From 2022 to 2025

Fast forward to 2025. USC has one player, wide receiver Makai Lemon, who should be the unanimous favorite for the Biletnikoff Award. Another, quarterback Jayden Maiava, shouldn’t necessarily be the Heisman favorite, but should at least be getting some consideration for that and some NFL draft hype. Heck, Makai Lemon should have some Heisman hype as well.

Media influence (or lack thereof)

The media has been too quiet about both of them. Lemon has started to get some recognition this past week after a jaw-dropping performance against Iowa. But again, he should be the unanimous favorite and should have been for weeks now.

Some people argue that if Maiava and Lemon put up a superhuman performance against Oregon, they will secure their spot in the national conversation. I am not so sure. But it’s not because they don’t deserve it for their play on the field, they absolutely do. It’s because they are too humble to demand the media spotlight like Williams did in 2022.

Let’s talk about what I mean.

Caleb Williams had undeniable personality, narratives

Caleb Williams was always going to be a national story at USC in 2022, even if he didn’t play that well.

There was a lot going on circumstantially that fueled that. Williams obviously showed flashes of great play at Oklahoma in 2021, then followed Lincoln Riley to USC in the most high profile coaching move of the offseason.

But Williams was also great at demanding the spotlight. He was good with the media, painted his nails, had an extensive NIL profile before he played a snap, was very expressive on the football field, had many very public initiatives going off the field, compiled an impressive pregame wardrobe.

Caleb Williams had personality oozing out of him. Sometimes it was flashy, sometimes the media made it needlessly controversial, but Williams was never deterred and endeared so many fans across the country.

Maiava and Lemon are quieter, less comfortable with attention

By comparison, Jayden Maiava and Makai Lemon are much less flashy.

Their play on the field is still incredibly exciting. But is it any coincidence that USC suddenly has done away with the unique gameday outfits? Lemon and Maiava show up in the same sweatsuit as everyone else.

Also when was the last time you saw Jayden Maiava or Makai Lemon on a commercial? On a billboard? Lemon in particular has incredible marketing potential just in his name, but he’s not getting Beats by Dre deals or even Minute Maid Lemonade NIL deals.

They’re also quiet, not demonstrative and love to downplay themselves and their own personal accomplishments to the media.

While they love to celebrate with their teammates, I don’t think they’re going to be hitting a Heisman pose anytime soon. Not even if they accumulate 3+ touchdowns each and beat Oregon.

Is either approach “better”?

I want to be clear about something before I explore this situation further. I don’t think either Williams’ approach or Lemon/Maiava’s approach is the right approach. I think they both have their merits.

Williams brought him, and USC, more national attention. Maiava and Lemon’s constant humility is great for building a well-rounded team culture.

I don’t think Caleb Williams was selfish, by any means, either. This is not a selfish vs. selfless comparison. I just think Williams was very comfortable in his own skin while Lemon and Maiava are not focused on building their brand.

Caleb Williams playing style, the team around him

There’s something to be said about Caleb Williams’ style of play that also furthered his Heisman campaign.

Maiava and Lemon booth are part of a great offensive system and a very good overall team this season at USC. In 2022, Williams looked like the team.

USC had a lot of other great players in 2022. But the way that Caleb Williams played made it clear that he was the most valuable player in college football. Dancing around defenders, throwing on the run, making the impossible look easy all while mitigating the effects of a not-very-good Trojan defense in 2022.

Maiava and Lemon are both great, but it feels like the media is discrediting them for having other great players around them, on offense, defense and special teams. USC is a more balanced team in 2025 winning in more balanced ways, and I’m sure Maiava and Lemon wouldn’t have it any other way. But because they aren’t a Caleb Williams (or a JuJu Watkins) alpha, the awards committees continue to overlook them.

What the media ignored about Caleb Williams

Because Caleb Williams played into the Heisman narrative so well, it didn’t matter that USC’s 2022 schedule was soft and and he stuffed his stat sheet because the Trojans didn’t play any great defenses. It didn’t matter that he had a very good offensive line and some of the best running backs and wide receivers in the country. It didn’t matter that he never beat a ranked team outside of Los Angeles.

What mattered was he made himself box office viewing. So the award went to him.

After Oregon on Saturday, Maiava and Lemon will have faced 3 of the top 5 pass defenses in the country: Oregon, Nebraska and Iowa. Northwestern and Notre Dame aren’t cupcakes on defense either. They will have at least 2 ranked wins, and if they can capture a third against the Ducks, they will have something Williams never did: a truly signature win outside of Los Angeles. They have put on superhuman performances on the road, they’ve done it in the rain, they’ve done it in tougher environments farther from USC, they’ve overcome countless injuries to the offense around them during a schedule that is 10 times harder than 2022.

But you wouldn’t know that based on how they are covered.

The awards go to the media darling in the modern era

Go look at the list of Heisman trophy winners right now. Ever since the calendar struck 2010, it’s a laundry list of the era’s most popular players.

Cam Newton. RGIII. Johnny Football. Jameis Winston. Marcus Mariota. Derrick Henry. Lamar Jackson. Baker Mayfield. Kyler Murray. Joe Burrow. Devonta Smith. Bryce Young. Caleb Williams. Jayden Daniels. And of course, Travis Hunter.

Hunter is maybe the best example of the era we are in. Was Colorado any good? Nope. Was Hunter the best wide receiver in the country? No again. Was he the best cornerback in the country? Nope!

But he was the media’s favorite because he was the Shohei Ohtani of football and he played for Deion Sanders. Flash sells.

I could go on a whole rant about how Ashton Jeanty was robbed. But that doesn’t even serve me in this article, because Jeanty had some flair himself. We haven’t forgotten his pre-snap pose in the backfield. And he isn’t shy about promoting himself in interviews either.

Many of these players were incredible, don’t get me wrong. But they got a huge boost from the spotlight.

The 2025 Heisman outlook

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s interviews are starting to go viral, and I want you to pay really close attention to that. A narrative is being built.

Mendoza is being lauded as intelligent and a lovable nerd out of UC Berkeley because he is well spoken and clearly obsessed with studying football given the way he breaks it down. Urban Meyer fell in love with the kid after hearing him talk for 30 seconds.

Mendoza also has less yards then Jayden Maiava, less yards per attempt and has been sacked more times. He isn’t the best or most valuable player on his team. But whatever. He has a higher completion percentage! Woohoo! (He also has more touchdowns and less interceptions.)

Again, I like Mendoza. I’ve liked him since he was at Cal. And his intelligence is endearing.

But in a year lacking top end QB talent, a few viral interviews are going to be one of the biggest factors that win him the Heisman, and that’s a little annoying.

What now for Maiava, Lemon?

So what? Do Jayden Maiava and Makai Lemon need to start drawing attention to themselves?

Absolutely not! I want Maiava and Lemon to be exactly who they are. I love them for it, and I am sure plenty of other USC fans feel the same, just like we love Caleb Williams for exactly who he is.

My challenge is to the media. Let’s do a better job of noticing the quieter players who put their head down and work. Because college football awards should be about the waves a player makes on the field, not the internet.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Makai Lemon Biletnikoff and Jayden Maiava Heisman campaigns at USC

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