Mason Miller is now the starting quarterback for USC football after spending his first three college years behind players like Kedon Slovis and Caleb Williams. Miller finally gets the opportunity to showcase his skills as the Trojans’ main quarterback, according to Paolo Uggetti of ESPN.
Uggetti notes that while it took Miller all of spring practice and much of fall camp to officially claim the starting spot, he may have already earned it back in December.
With Williams choosing not to play in the Holiday Bowl while preparing for the NFL draft, Miller seized the opportunity and performed exceptionally. In that bowl game against Louisville, he delivered a standout performance, throwing for 372 yards and six touchdowns with only one interception on 23-of-33 completions, and rushing twice for 13 yards in a 42-28 win.
Wide receiver Kyron Hudson, who caught one of Miller’s touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl, believed at the time that Miller would become the starting quarterback, which came to fruition. Hudson expressed his enthusiasm, stating that Miller’s performance would be beneficial for the team in the future and that he’s ready for the role.
Though USC could have chosen transfer Jayden Maiava to succeed Williams, who now plays for the Chicago Bears, they decided to stick with Miller. Maiava, despite being a sophomore, has more starting experience with 14 games under his belt in 2023 for UNLV, where he threw for 3,085 yards and 17 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
In contrast, Miller has accumulated 914 yards and nine touchdowns with just one interception in his nine appearances for the Trojans, showing promising statistics despite the limited number of games played.
The No. 23 Trojans will face a significant challenge right away in the 2024 season, as they take on the No. 13 LSU Tigers at Allegiant Stadium on September 1.
