Miller Moss takes the reins at USC as Modern College Football’s biggest departure

When quarterback Miller Moss took the field at Petco Park to lead the USC Trojans against the Louisville Cardinals in the 2023 Holiday Bowl, much had changed since he last started a football game.

Moss, then a redshirt sophomore, had spent the last two years backing up Heisman Trophy winner and eventual No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, Caleb Williams, and started after Williams retired. Moss saw action in just two games as a true freshman in 2021, both coming off the bench. The rest of his high school season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the intervening years, he stood on the sidelines as USC went 4–8 and made a coaching change in 2021, reached a 22 Pac-12 title game, then sat facing a 7–5 mark. ’23 campaign. When he finally got the chance to take the game’s opening pass, Moss quickly showed he was up for the challenge.

His long wait provided a nice story heading into the Holiday Bowl, then turned into a storybook ending after he threw six touchdown passes in a 42-28 victory. Now, eight months later, Moss’ trajectory has moved him from an overlooked afterthought to the program’s face-off as the Trojans begin a new era in the Big Ten.

Life comes fast for you, doesn’t it? Not if you’re Miller Moss.

The redshirt junior’s path to becoming USC’s starting quarterback makes him the biggest anomaly in modern college football. In an era of unprecedented player movement where transferring has never been easier, Moss has taken the road less traveled and stuck to his roots to stay at the school he has always loved.

“I absolutely love this university,” Moss said Big Ten Media Day. “I have a lot of love for this staff and obviously a lot of love for the players in the locker room and I’m totally committed to them. I love this place and hopefully I can get a lot more wins this year.”

Moss didn’t come to USC as an underdog. The Bishop Alemany High (Mission Hills, Calif.) four-star prospect was ranked the No. 12 quarterback in the 2021 class. 247 Sports. Along with Jaxson Dart, he was one of two quarterbacks signed by the Trojans that year under then-coach Clay Helton. Both started the ’21 season backing up established starter Kedon Slovis, but when Slovis suffered an injury that kept him out of action, Dart was called upon to step in. Moss attempted his first career pass in the season finale – a 24–14 loss. To Cal — as part of a 4-8 season that saw Helton fired after Week 2.

After USC hired Lincoln Riley, the Trojans saw a massive exodus of players to the transfer portal. Moss wasn’t one of them, and he stayed with the team even after Riley brought Williams with him from Oklahoma — a scenario Moss admits wasn’t ideal.

“There was probably one guy in my Elite 11 class that I wouldn’t have gone to school with, and that was Caleb Williams,” Moss. said football analyst Yogi Roth this offseason. “And it’s funny … sitting behind him for two years was tough, and I think it taught me a lot.”

To put into perspective just how rare it is that Moss chose to stay at one school and wait his turn, consider this: Of the 11 quarterbacks ahead of him in his recruiting class, nine ended up transferring from the school they originally signed with. The only two that don’t? Michigan’s JJ McCarthy and North Carolina’s Drake Maye, both starters in their second seasons.

Rankings by 247Sports

Of course, every player has their own reasons for looking for a second chance. But the fact that Moss chose to stay speaks to the belief he has in his own abilities and the bond he feels with his school and teammates.

“I love Miller,” redshirt junior offensive lineman Mason Murphy says. – I came with Miller as a freshman, so I’ve always seen how he works on and off the field, from our freshman year to now. So it’s no surprise that he’s doing great things right now. I’m just excited to see where he goes from here.

That relationship-building has laid the foundation for where Moss stands today, and it’s a result of his decision to stay tied to one place for so long. Instead of looking for a faster path to playing time, Moss put his school and those around him first.

“Miller cares about people,” USC quarterbacks coach Luke Huard says. – He is a real, genuine person who cares about our guys on and off the field. I think our players feel that. He’s definitely someone who, if they need him in any situation, he’s there for his teammates.

Huard arrived at USC in February 2022, first as an offensive analyst and later became the inside linebacker coach before moving to his current position prior to this season. He joined Riley’s staff in Los Angeles after most other coaches had already started. Because the 44-year-old former college quarterback didn’t know many people on his new team, he was amazed at how Moss went out of his way to introduce himself and welcome him to campus, even though Huard wouldn’t become his position coach until this year. .

“I immediately thought, ‘This guy is fascinating, this guy has a great personality, this guy is considerate,'” Huard says of his first impression of Moss.

Moss saw time in nine games as Williams’ backup before the start of the Holiday Bowl, all in garbage time. Still, the way he performed in practice, despite getting limited snaps, showed he wasn’t one to wallow in self-pity for a lack of opportunities.

“That’s a guy who takes the job seriously,” sophomore Ja’Kobi Lane says. “Even though he wasn’t a starter last year or the year before that, he still took it seriously and didn’t let anything get in the way of his competitive spirit.

“He’s one of those crazy competitors and he understands what he’s capable of. He’s a really hungry dude.”

Treating practice like a game is easier said than done, especially when you’re the backup quarterback stuck behind the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. The fact that Moss consistently brought that intensity to the training ground left an impression on the rest of the team.

“The key for any quarterback, whether they’re the third guy or the second guy, is how do you approach it?” Huard says. “Are you the man who goes, Well, I probably don’t play as many snaps in this game, so I might not prepare as hard as a starter? Miller has been that guy no matter where he’s been [on the depth chart]he is always prepared as if I play in this game. I think all quarterbacks who have to wait their turn is what they do in those moments.

Moss’ six-touchdown bowl performance was the culmination of years of patience, but it didn’t immediately solidify his status as USC’s 2024 starter. The Trojans hosted former Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Will Howard for a visit in December (Howard instead committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes) and brought in UNLV Rebels transfer and Mountain West freshman of the year Jayden Maiava in January, adding more. another hurdle for Moss to clear.

After an impressive camp, Riley finally did what many expected and named Moss the team’s starter on Monday. The announcement is a kind of validation, a hard-earned reward for a player who rejected the transfer portal and other immediate possibilities and trusted the process.

After all the waiting, coaching changes and uncertainty, Moss doesn’t have to wonder anymore. When the Trojans face No. 13 LSU in the season opener to begin what USC hopes will be a rebound year, he’ll be the one leading the team onto the field. When the moment comes, it’s something he’s been waiting for – and most importantly – preparing for – for a long time.