After spending three seasons as a backup, Miller Moss’ persistence has formally paid off. In a transfer that was broadly anticipated, No. 23 USC head coach Lincoln Riley named Moss the Trojans’ beginning quarterback Monday forward of the beginning of the 2024 season.
Moss, a junior, will step into the sizeable sneakers left behind by Caleb Williams, who spent two seasons at USC, gained a Heisman Trophy, and threw for over 8,000 yards and 72 touchdowns. Moss, for his half, has solely thrown 59 move makes an attempt for 681 yards and 7 touchdowns all through his time at USC.
It took Moss all of spring observe and most of fall camp to formally safe the place, however in some ways, Moss could have gained the job again in December. With Williams deciding to not play within the Vacation Bowl in anticipation of his NFL draft choice, Moss stepped into the beginning function and made essentially the most of his alternative.
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With a recreation plan arrange for him to showcase his expertise, Moss threw 33 passes, finishing 23 of them for 372 yards, and tallied six touchdowns — a Vacation Bowl document — on his method to main USC to a 42-28 win over Louisville.
“He would possibly’ve scared off anyone that needed to return right here,” Riley stated on the time. “Miller may’ve bolted off at completely different instances, however he is stayed right here. He is gotten higher.”
It was the type of efficiency Riley wanted to see. As an alternative of dipping into the switch portal for 2 quarterbacks — a younger one and a veteran — like Riley stated he would do, USC solely introduced in UNLV’s Jayden Maiava, giving Moss the clear likelihood to turn out to be the beginning quarterback.
After USC’s spring recreation, Riley stated Moss had been lights out and was the front-runner within the quarterback competitors in opposition to Maiava.
“He is actually forward proper now, there isn’t any query about that,” Riley stated. “We’re ready proper now the place we do not have to call a starter. … If we performed immediately, it could actually be Miller.”
Over the course of the offseason and into fall camp, Moss had taken on a good larger management function inside the group, pointing to his probably place because the starter. He was the Trojans’ participant consultant at Large Ten media days in Indianapolis as effectively.
However each Riley and different members of USC’s employees had held again from naming him the official starter regardless of heaping reward on how far Moss had come alongside.
“He has a very good data of the system and he does an incredible job sharing it together with his teammates,” quarterbacks coach Luke Huard stated a number of weeks in the past. “Miller has completed an incredible job of growing himself, he could make all of the throws.”
Moss will get his first check of being a beginning quarterback for a regular-season recreation when USC faces off in opposition to LSU in Las Vegas on Sep. 1 to open up the season.
