USC quarterback Jayden Maiava focused during the offseason on trying to be a more vocal leader as he prepares for his third season leading the Trojans’ offense.

“Coach [Lincoln] Riley has done such a great job in putting me in different situations and scenarios to step up and be a leader,” Maiava said. “Shout out to him, and for us to continue to have conversations outside of football has been a lot for me. And I take pride in our conversations that we have.”

USC running back Waymond Jordan and offensive lineman Elijah Paige noted how much more they hear from Maiava at practice this preseason and said they are are looking forward to seeing how he handles game-day communication.

Maiava said he continues to refine his command of Riley’s offense and has learned more than he imagined was possible when he started.

“Being decisive with all my decisions and just living with it,” Maiava said when asked about some key lessons he picked up.

Maivia took some teammates with him to Hawaii, where he hosted a mental health event for kids in his home state.

“Being in Hawaii for the first time was amazing,” Jordan said. “Hawaii wasn’t what I expected, but it was a nice way to speak on mental health because it’s a big issue around the country.”

With the departure of All-American Makai Lemon and fellow receiver Ja’Kobi Lane to the NFL, Maiava has focused on strengthening his connection with his current group of receivers.

“It’s been awesome,” Maiava said. “We’ve put in a lot of work in the offseason, and those guys are getting after it. We’re building a really good chemistry.”

With the season kicking off Aug. 29 at home against San José State, USC still is searching for its starting center. After the Trojans lost projected starter Kilian O’Connor to a season-ending knee injury early this month, the top spot still is up for grabs.

“It’s unfortunate that he went down, but I think Coach Hanson has done a great job training us all at different positions,” Paige said of offensive line coach Zach Hanson. “We played with Kilian last year, but we’ve got guys that’ll step up and can do it.”

Maiava said he felt comfortable working with the offensive linemen in the program.

“All the guys that have been taking reps have been super phenomenal doing their job at a high level,” he said.

Jordan said the linemen are closer than they were last season and inspire confidence among other offensive players. The second-year running back has made it a priority to get close with linemen by talking more and going to their barbecues.

“I also have been making it one of my biggest points this camp to make a handshake with every single one of them,” Jordan said.

New defensive coordinator Gary Patterson’s defense is testing the Trojans’ offense early in camp.

“They bring a bit of everything, and Coach Patterson does a great job of scheming up the defense,” Paige said.

Riley said it has been exciting to have Rob Ryan return for a second year to be the assistant head coach for the defense, working alongside Patterson.

“Those two have been a great pairing, and I think they’re key to our defensive staff right now,” Riley said.