USC names Williams’ backup Moss starting QB

After spending three seasons as a backup, Miller Moss‘ patience has officially paid off. In a move that was widely expected, No. 23 USC head coach Lincoln Riley named Moss the Trojans’ starting quarterback Monday ahead of the start of the 2024 season.

Moss, a junior, will step into the sizeable shoes left behind by Caleb Williams, who spent two seasons at USC, won a Heisman Trophy, and threw for over 8,000 yards and 72 touchdowns. Moss, for his part, has only thrown 59 pass attempts for 681 yards and seven touchdowns throughout his time at USC.

It took Moss all of spring practice and most of fall camp to officially secure the position, but in many ways, Moss may have won the job back in December. With Williams deciding to not play in the Holiday Bowl in anticipation of his NFL draft decision, Moss stepped into the starting role and made the most of his opportunity.

With a game plan set up for him to showcase his talent, Moss threw 33 passes, completing 23 of them for 372 yards, and tallied six touchdowns — a Holiday Bowl record — on his way to leading USC to a 42-28 win over Louisville.

“He might’ve scared off anybody that wanted to come here,” Riley said at the time. “Miller could’ve bolted off at different times, but he’s stayed here. He’s gotten better.”

It was the kind of performance Riley needed to see. Instead of dipping into the transfer portal for two quarterbacks — a young one and a veteran — like Riley said he would do, USC only brought in UNLV‘s Jayden Maiava, giving Moss the clear chance to become the starting quarterback.

After USC’s spring game, Riley said Moss had been lights out and was the front-runner in the quarterback competition against Maiava.

“He’s certainly ahead right now, there’s no question about that,” Riley said. “We’re in a position right now where we don’t have to name a starter. … If we played today, it would certainly be Miller.”

Over the course of the offseason and into fall camp, Moss had taken on an even bigger leadership role within the team, pointing to his likely place as the starter. He was the Trojans’ player representative at Big Ten media days in Indianapolis as well.

But both Riley and other members of USC’s staff had held back from naming him the official starter despite heaping praise on how far Moss had come along.

“He has a really good knowledge of the system and he does a great job sharing it with his teammates,” quarterbacks coach Luke Huard said a few weeks ago. “Miller has done a great job of developing himself, he can make all the throws.”

Moss will get his first test of being a starting quarterback for a regular-season game when USC faces off against LSU in Las Vegas on Sep. 1 to open up the season.