Matt Leinart Exclusive: USC Legend Talks Lincoln Riley, Trojans Expectations

Matt Leinart knows this is a big season for his alma mater, the USC Trojans.

The two-time National Champion — he holds a 37-2 record as a starter over his career — led the Trojans to their most recent title win and their last great run as a program. Under Leinart’s lead, USC went on a 34-game win streak, the fourth-longest in NCAA Division I history and tied for the longest since 1972.

The current Trojans have had difficulty establishing that winning culture, seeing a decline with each passing season since Lincoln Riley’s arrival in 2022. The Trojans went 11-3 during Riley’s first season in 2022, before declining to 8-5 in 2023 and 7-6 in 2024.

The Trojans play in one of the toughest conferences in the nation in the Big Ten, but the conference could be wide open with many of the superpowers replacing their previous starting quarterbacks this season.

Leinart has difficulty pinpointing what would constitute a successful season, but says winning more than eight games and showing they can close games would be a step in the right direction.

“That’s always a challenge: is it getting to a playoff, is it winning double digit games, is it just improving upon last year?” Leinart told The Escapist in an exclusive interview. “The deficiencies that they had last year, closing out games and finishing, they couldn’t put it together. Does that change this year? There’s a lot of definitions of what makes a successful season. I do think USC is different. There’s a lot of pressure there, there’s a lot of expectation.”

Leinart: Lincoln Riley On Hot Seat

The Trojans aren’t ranked within the Top 25 nationally in the preseason polls. Big Ten powerhouses such as the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes, the Penn State Nittany Lions and Oregon Ducks are considered the favorites.

Although the Trojans don’t have the same expectations as those three programs, he says Riley is on the “hot seat.”

“I know Lincoln very well, and he is on the hot seat,” says Leinart. “I think he would tell you that, because you have to win there – especially when you win 10 games or 11 games out the gate. USC is flying under the radar. I don’t even know if they’re in the top 25 in one poll or both polls, which sometimes that’s a good place to be.”

The Trojans will return their starting quarterback at the end of last season in Jayden Maiava. Maiava went 3-1 as the starting quarterback, including a bowl win over the Texas A&M Aggies.

Leinart says the Trojans have a team that can compete in the Big Ten and that having less expectations can be a benefit.

“It doesn’t mean there’s less expectation, but it kind of means no one’s really talking about you,” says Leinart. “You can keep your nose to the ground, you can grind, and you can start letting your play do the talking. They have a team this year that can compete in the Big Ten.”

Leinart: Jayden Maiava ‘The Key’ To Success

The Trojans lost five games by one possession last season. Leinart says they were three plays away from having 10 wins last season, which gives him hope for this year’s team. If they can show the ability to close out games, they could potentially compete for a College Football Playoff berth.

“They were close last year,” says Leinart. “They were probably three plays away from having 10 wins. We were three plays away from having 10 wins and maybe being in the playoffs. But that’s football, so you have to figure out how we can turn those plays into winning plays for us, which then means more wins for us. They have the talent.”

Leinart, who is a former first-round draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner, says Maiava is the “key.”

“Jayden is the key,” Leinart said. “If he can take the next step in this offense, where we’ve seen quarterbacks just absolutely flourish, then they’re going to be there in the mix. The schedule shapes up for them to have a nice little run, and we’ll see. You got to improve on last year, or else that’s going to continue to be the narrative. The storyline is: Is Lincoln the right guy for the job? I think he has the ability to do it. I really do. This is a big year for him and the team.”