Recalling USC’s “QBs of the future” after Husan Longstreet departure

On Wednesday, former USC quarterback Husan Longstreet reportedly signed with LSU in the transfer portal. After just one season with the Trojans, the former five-star recruit will be playing elsewhere in 2026.

Longstreet’s departure is yet another reminder that in today’s era of college football, you cannot get too attached to quarterback plans. In the past eight years, USC has had six highly-ranked young quarterbacks who were billed as the Trojans’ “QB of the future” that either never even made it to campus or transferred out within two years.

Let’s take a look back at USC’s long-term quarterback plans of the past decade, and what actually wound up happening with each of them.

JT Daniels: The plan

Daniels was originally committed to the Trojans as a five-star recruit in the class of 2019. With Sam Darnold’s early departure for the NFL, Daniels elected to graduate high school a year early and enroll at USC in the summer of 2018. He was named USC’s starter quarterback immediately, and was expected to hold down the position for several years to come.

JT Daniels: The reality

After an up-and-down freshman season, Daniels tore his ACL in USC’s 2019 season opener, ending his year. His backup, true freshman Kedon Slovis, went on to have an impressive season, being named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. With Slovis seemingly entrenched as USC’s starting quarterback, Daniels entered the transfer portal following the season.

Daniels transferred to Georgia, where he started seven games over two years, winning a national championship as the backup quarterback in 2021. He would finish out his college football career with stints at West Virginia and Rice, before medically retiring from football in 2023.

Bryce Young: The plan

Young was committed to USC as a five-star recruit in the class of 2020. The Trojans’ plan was seemingly for him to sit behind Daniels for a year or two and then take over as the starter.

Bryce Young: The reality

However, Young never even made it to USC’s campus. In the fall of 2019, he flipped his commitment to Alabama. While not confirmed, his decision to flip may have been partially due to the emergence of Slovis, which complicated USC’s quarterback plans.

Young had a very successful career at Alabama, winning the 2021 Heisman Trophy. (He did, however, earn the unfortunate distinction of being the first quarterback in 14 years to start for multiple seasons under Nick Saban and not lead his team to a national championship.) The Carolina Panthers selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, where he has had an up-and-down career through three years.

Jake Garcia: The plan

Shortly following Young’s decommitment, USC picked up a commitment from class of 2021 four-star quarterback Jake Garcia. With Young no longer in the picture, it appeared as though Garcia could be the Trojans’ heir apparent to Slovis.

Jake Garcia: The reality

Like Young, however, Garcia also never made it to campus. Following the commitments of fellow 2021 QBs Millers Moss and Jaxson Dart, Garcia flipped his pledge to Miami.

Garcia has spent time at four different schools over the past five years: Miami, Missouri, East Carolina, and Michigan. He allegedly has a sixth year of eligibility, as on Wednesday he entered the transfer portal yet again.

Jaxson Dart: The plan

One of the reasons for Garcia’s flip was the commitment of Dart, a four-star recruit in the class of 2021. Dart saw notable playing time as Slovis’s backup in 2021, even starting the final three games of the season under interim head coach Donte Williams. He showed quite a bit of potential, and looked like an exciting young QB for USC’s new head coach to work with.

Jaxson Dart: The reality

Unfortunately for Dart, that new coach turned out to be Lincoln Riley, who brought quarterback Caleb Williams with him from Oklahoma. As a result, Dart elected to enter the transfer portal, landing at Ole Miss, with former USC head coach Lane Kiffin. (Slovis also transferred, finishing out his college football career at Pitt and BYU.) After a successful stint there that included earning first-team All-SEC honors as a senior in 2024, the New York Giants selected Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Malachi Nelson: The plan

In 2023, Riley and the Trojans signed five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson. While Nelson started off behind Williams and Moss on the depth chart, based on his talent level, it was widely presumed that he would eventually become USC’s starter.

Malachi Nelson: The reality

After just one season with the Trojans in which he attempted only three passes, however, Nelson elected to enter the transfer portal. He has spent the past two seasons at Boise State and UTEP, where he largely disappointed, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. Now, he is back in the portal again in search of his fourth different school in four years.

Julian Lewis: The plan

Following the 2023 season, Williams declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, while Nelson entered the portal. As a result, USC entered the year with Moss and UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava as its quarterbacks. Moss started the first nine games of the season, before being replaced by Maiava for the final four.

Moss transferred to Lousiville following the season, leaving Maiava as the clear-cut starter for 2025. In addition, the Trojans held a commitment from highly-touted recruit Julian Lewis, who reclassified from the 2026 cycle to 2025. While Maiava was penciled in as USC’s starter for the 2025 season, the widely held perception was that Lewis was the Trojans’ long-term plan at quarterback.

Julian’s Lewis: The reality

In November 2024, however, USC flipped five-star class of 2025 quarterback Husan Longstreet from Texas A&M. Lewis then decommitted from the Trojans, instead signing with Colorado. As a true freshman with the Buffaloes this past season, he completed 55.9% of his pass attempts for 589 yards and four touchdowns.

Husan Longstreet: The plan

As previously mentioned, the Trojans signed Longstreet as a five-star recruit in the 2025 cycle. He backed up Maiava this past season, and was widely presumed as his eventual successor.

Husan Longstreet: The reality

Last month, Maiava announced that he would be returning to USC for his senior season in 2026. Longstreet could have waited one more year and been the Trojans’ likely starter for 2027. However, he instead elected to enter the transfer portal, landing at LSU as of Tuesday.

The moral of the story

If you have made it this far, congratulations! You have just read an overview of the quarterback position at USC over the past eight years.

There is a clear lesson in all of this: Do not get too attached to QB plans. Because as we have seen, in today’s era of college football, they can change quickly and often.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football long-term quarterback plans have often collapsed

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