‘Truly the Best Coach in the Country,’ ‘It Does Bother Us’ — USC Star Jayden Maiava Defends HC Lincoln Riley Amid Calls for His Firing

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Calls for USC to fire head coach Lincoln Riley have grown louder over the past month. The criticism intensified on September 28, when ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum urged the Trojans to move on from Riley, even if it meant paying a reported buyout of roughly $72 million. His comments came just two days after USC suffered a 41-27 loss to Oregon at the Coliseum in Week 4.

Now, amid the growing calls for Riley’s dismissal, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava has come to his coach’s defense.

USC QB Jayden Maiava Comes to Lincoln Riley’s Defense Amid Calls for His Firing

Finebaum made the comments during an appearance on ESPN’s ‘First Take’. When asked about USC linebacker Desman Stephens II’s one-game suspension, he took a direct shot at Riley.

“I think everybody knows who the fraud is,” Finebaum said. “It is Lincoln Riley.”

During the latest episode of ‘Outta Pocket’ with Robert Griffin III, Maiava spoke up in defense of Riley as calls to fire the USC head coach continue to grow.

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“Yes it does bother us, but we use it as fuel.” He said. “Everybody in this building knows who Coach Riley is. He really truly is the best coach in the country.”

During Finebaum’s criticism, Riley was also compared to Clay Helton, who was fired as the Trojans’ head coach in 2021.

“He has the same record at this point in his tenure as Clay Helton, who got fired and run off,” Finebaum said. “It cost about $10 million to get rid of him. It will cost about $70 million to get rid of Lincoln Riley. But I promise you, USC people, it would be worth it because this guy is bringing your program down to the gutter.”

Riley posted a 35-18 record in his first four seasons at USC, which matches Helton’s mark through his first 53 games with the Trojans. As for Maiava, in his recent outing at Happy Valley, he looked every bit like an experienced college quarterback.

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Riley also shared his stance on Maiava’s performance. “Thought he was poised, confident.” Riley said. “I think he was very locked into how we wanted to attack them and I thought he stayed really steady throughout the entire game.”

USC heads into its first bye week at 6-1 and remains firmly in the College Football Playoff race. If the Trojans want to make a serious push for their first playoff appearance, Maiava will be central to those plans.

His performance against the Nittany Lions was encouraging, but the big question is whether he can build on it. And more importantly, whether he can really carry that momentum into the second half of the season.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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