LOS ANGELES — A few years ago, Lincoln Riley might have panicked if he only had two quarterbacks in his room come December. Times have changed. This was a yearly occurrence, USC’s head coach reflected on National Signing Day, expressing faith in returning starter Jayden Maiava and highly touted freshman Husan Longstreet heading into 2025. Still, Miller Moss was gone to the transfer portal, as was backup Jake Jensen. The room had no buffer, by sheer depth. And USC, Riley confirmed then, would need to add a third quarterback. “Coach Huard, the rest of our staff,” Riley said, referring to USC quarterbacks coach Luke Huard, “we’ll be diving into that heavily and find somebody to come fill out the room.” Well, he found someone, indeed. And there should be little problem feeling out USC’s newest addition at QB. On Monday afternoon, Utah transfer QB Sam Huard announced on his Instagram story that he had signed with USC – Luke’s nephew, and the torch-bearer of the Huard family legacy at quarterback. Huard’s father Damon authored a standout career at Washington in the 1990s, while uncle Brock played for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks. Huard, now, will play for his other uncle Luke, who once quarterbacked at North Carolina and played an integral role in bringing Longstreet into his room at USC. A winding road has reunited nephew with uncle at USC. Huard was once a five-star prospect out of the state of Washington and one of the top quarterbacks in the class of 2021, recruited by USC and former offensive coordinator Graham Harrell before staying home at Washington. After two years with the Huskies and just one start, though, Huard transferred to the FCS for a year to play at Cal Poly (SLO), throwing for 2,205 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2023. He landed at Utah in 2024, but didn’t see the field after a season-ending injury. Related Articles College Sports | USC lands top JUCO RB Waymond Jordan to bolster backfield College Sports | USC football breakdown: How the Trojans look at quarterback College Sports | USC loses starting LG Emmanuel Pregnon to transfer portal College Sports | USC’s Kyle Ford finds vindication in one shining moment College Sports | USC rallies past Texas A&M for thrilling Las Vegas Bowl victory He’ll land at USC with a chance to compete for reps, likely filling out Riley’s quarterback room entering 2025. As USC didn’t publicly pursue a clear QB1 in the portal in a weak 2024 transfer class, though, Huard’s arrival – a player who has started one game at the FBS level – likely signals Maiava is cemented as the Trojans’ starter in 2025 unless pushed by true freshman Longstreet. “We’re really going to be looking at somebody to be able to come in,” Riley said on National Signing Day, of adding a third quarterback, “and provide some depth in that room.”