USC has some big shoes to fill at the quarterback position this season. With Caleb Williams gone to the NFL and selected 1st overall, the Trojans will turn to junior Miller Moss. Moss, who appeared in two games last season, including the team's bowl game, will be the full-time starter for the first time in his career. The pressure to turn USC around after a disappointing 2023 season is high.
Moss created significant buzz around himself and the Trojans when he played for Williams in the team's Holliday Bowl victory over Louisville to end last season. Moss's performance was nothing short of impressive, throwing for 423 yards with six touchdowns and a 69% completion percentage. His coming out party silenced any talk of Lincoln Riley looking elsewhere for his next quarterback following Williams’ departure, leaving fans excited about his potential.
Miller Moss is the man 🫡
— USC on BTN (@USConBTN) July 24, 2024
The @uscfb QB talks about his big bowl game performance and his journey to where he is today.#B1GFootball x #B1GMediaDays pic.twitter.com/ajfsRuaBXt
Since that game, the four-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class has received high praise across the media landscape, even with his limited sample size. In a recent ranking of the Big Ten quarterbacks by Cody Nagel of 24/7 Sports, Moss was ranked as the 4th best signal-caller in the conference. Moss was slotted in right behind Ohio State’s Will Howard and ahead of Washington’s Will Rogers on the list that was topped by Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Penn State’s Drew Allar. For someone who has only started two games, that is a high bar to set for Moss.
While Moss's sample size is small, but his start against Louisville showed incredible tools and an ability to make big plays. He was poised and looked very comfortable throughout the game, regardless of the fact that he did not have much playing time beforehand.
If he can perform as he did in that bowl game every week, USC will again be one of the most potent offenses in college football, and Moss could be in the conversation for the conference's best quarterback.
