The following individuals have started games at the quarterback position for the USC Trojans football team, updated from 1975 through November 15, 2025. Inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame are designated alongside the player's final season. Players who had taken a redshirt season are designated ().

Year Name Class First career start Number of starts Record as starter Awards/honors References2025Jayden Maiava Jr.108–2 2024 Miller Moss Jr. 9 4–5 Jayden Maiava So. November 16 4 3–1 2023 Caleb Williams Jr. 12 7–5 Miller Moss So. December 27 1 1–0 Holiday Bowl Offensive MVP 2022 Caleb Williams So. September 3 13 11–2 Heisman; Maxwell Award; Walter Camp Award; Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year; All-Pac-12 First Team; AP Player of the Year 2021 Kedon Slovis Jr. 9 4–5 Dart started versus UCLA, BYU, and California; Slovis started all other games. Jaxson Dart Fr. November 20 3 0–3 2020 Kedon Slovis So. 6 5–1 All-Pac-12 First Team 2019 JT Daniels So. 1 1–0 Daniels started versus Fresno State; Fink started versus Washington; Slovis started all other games. Kedon Slovis Fr. September 7 11 7–4 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year; All-Pac-12 Team Honorable Mention Matt Fink Jr. September 28 1 0–1 2018 JT Daniels Fr. September 1 11 5–6 Sears started versus Arizona State; Daniels started all other games. Jack Sears Fr. October 27 1 0–1 2017 Sam Darnold So. 14 11–3 All-Pac-12 First Team; Pac-12 Championship Game MVP 2016 Sam Darnold Fr September 23 10 9–1 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year; All-Pac-12 Team Honorable Mention; Rose Bowl Offensive MVPBrowne started versus Alabama, Utah State, and Stanford; Darnold started all other games. Max Browne Jr. September 3 3 1–2 2015 Cody Kessler Sr. 13 8–5 2014 Cody Kessler Jr. 13 9–4 Holiday Bowl Offensive MVP 2013 Cody Kessler So. August 29 14 10–4 2012 Matt Barkley Sr. 11 7–4 Wuerffel Trophy Wittek started versus Notre Dame and Georgia Tech; Barkley started all other games. Max Wittek Fr. November 24 2 0–2 2011 Matt Barkley Jr. 12 10–2 All-Pac-12 Second Team 2010 Matt Barkley So. 12 8–4 Mitch Mustain Sr. November 27 1 0–1 Mustain started versus Notre Dame; Barkley started all other games. 2009 Matt Barkley Fr. September 5 12 9–3 Aaron Corp So.September 19 1 0–1 Corp started versus Washington; Barkley started all other games. 2008 Mark Sanchez Jr. 13 12–1 All-Pac-10 First Team; Rose Bowl MVP 2007 John David Booty Sr. 10 9–1 Rose Bowl MVP Mark Sanchez So. October 13 3 2–1 Sanchez started versus Arizona, Notre Dame, and Oregon; Booty started all other games. 2006 John David Booty Jr. September 2 13 11–2 All-Pac-10 First Team 2005 Matt Leinart Sr. 13 12–1 Unitas; All-Pac-10 First Team; College Football Hall of Fame (2017) 2004 Matt Leinart Jr. 13 13–0 Heisman; Consensus All-American; Co-Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year; All-Pac-10 First Team; Walter Camp Award; AP Player of the Year; Manning Award; Orange Bowl MVP 2003 Matt Leinart So. August 30 13 12–1 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year; All-Pac-10 First Team; Rose Bowl MVP 2002 Carson Palmer Sr. 13 11–2 Heisman; Unitas; Consensus All-American; Co-Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year; All-Pac-10 First Team; Sporting News College Football Player of the Year; Orange Bowl MVP; College Football Hall of Fame (2021) 2001 Carson Palmer Jr. 12 6–6 2000 Carson Palmer So. 12 5–7 1999 Carson Palmer So. 3 2–1 Palmer started versus Hawaii, San Diego State, and Oregon; Fox started versus Arizona State, Washington State, UCLA, and Louisiana Tech; Van Raaphorst started all other games.Mike Van Raaphorst Jr. 5 1–4 John Fox Sr. 4 3–1 1998 Carson Palmer Fr. October 31 5 3–2 Palmer started versus Washington, Stanford, UCLA, Notre Dame, and TCU; Van Raaphorst started all other games. Mike Van Raaphorst So. 8 5–3 1997 John Fox So. September 6 9 5–4 Van Raaphorst started versus Washington and Stanford; Fox started all other games. Mike Van Raaphorst Fr. November 1 2 1–1 1996 Brad Otton Sr. 12 6–6 1995 Brad Otton Jr. 10 8–1–1 Wachholtz started versus Oregon State and UCLA; Otton started all other games. Kyle Wachholtz Sr. November 11 2 1–1 1994 Rob Johnson Sr. 10 6–3–1 Otton started versus Oregon State and California; Johnson started all other games. Brad Otton So. October 8 2 2–0 1993 Rob Johnson Jr. 13 8–5 All-Pac-10 First Team 1992 Rob Johnson So. 12 6–5–1 1991 Reggie Perry So. September 2 10 3–7 Johnson started versus Arizona; Perry started all other games. Rob Johnson Fr. November 16 1 0–1 1990 Todd Marinovich So. 11 7–4 Foley started versus Arizona State and California; Marinovich started all other games. Shane Foley Sr. October 27 2 1–0–1 1989 Todd Marinovich Fr. September 4 12 9–2–1 All-Pac-10 First Team 1988 Rodney Peete Sr. 12 10–2 Unitas; Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year; All-Pac-10 First Team 1987 Rodney Peete Jr. 12 8–4 1986 Rodney Peete So. 12 7–5 All-Pac-10 Second Team 1985 Rodney Peete Fr. November 16 4 2–2 Peete started versus Washington, UCLA, Oregon, and Alabama; Salisbury started all other games. Sean Salisbury Sr. 8 4–4 1984 Tim Green Sr. October 6 9 7–2 Rose Bowl Co-MVP Salisbury started versus Utah State and Arizona State; McLean started versus LSU; Green started all other games. Kevin McLean Fr. September 29 1 0–1 Sean Salisbury Sr. 2 2–0 1983 Sean Salisbury Jr. 11 4–6–1 1982 Scott Tinsley Sr. 4 3–1 Tinsley started versus California, Arizona, UCLA, and Notre Dame; Salisbury started all other games. Sean Salisbury So. September 11 7 5–2 1981 John Mazur Fr. September 5 12 9–3 1980 Gordon Adams Sr. September 13 9 7–1–1 Tinsley started versus UCLA and Notre Dame; Adams apparently started all other games. Scott Tinsley So. November 22 2 1–1 1979 Paul McDonald Sr. 12 11–0–1 All-Pac-10 First Team 1978 Paul McDonald Jr. September 9 12 11–1 Rob Preston Jr. December 2 1 1–0 1977 Rob Hertel Sr. 12 8–4 1976 Vince Evans Sr. 12 11–1 Rose Bowl MVP 1975 Vince Evans Jr. ? 8 4–4 Mike Sanford So. November 15 1 0–1 Rob Hertel So. October 4 3 3–0

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