The former USC Trojan is learning his way around the Cardinals’ playbook and the ‘Ville’s culture, writes Kyle Wood.
Meet Miller Moss, Louisville's Latest Transfer Quarterback originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
CHARLOTTE — Miller Moss is already somewhat infamous among Louisville fans for his 2023 Holiday Bowl performance. The then-USC quarterback tossed six touchdowns in his first career start against his future school. Moss committed to the Cardinals less than a year later to join a growing list of key transfer-portal additions at the position for coach Jeff Brohm’s program.
“It's kind of a random coincidence or full-circle moment, whatever you want to call it,” Moss said at ACC media days on Wednesday. “Fans will come up and say stuff to me. I'll just let them know that we're going to make up for it this year.”
Louisville is in the midst of its most successful stretch since it joined the ACC in 2014. The Cardinals are 19-8 over the past two seasons under Brohm with a win at perennial powerhouse Clemson in 2024 and a trip to the ACC Championship Game in 2023.
Transfer quarterbacks played a key role in that resurgence. Two years ago, Jack Plummer broke out at Louisville. Last season, it was Tyler Shough. The Cardinals are hopeful Moss carries on that lineage; he admitted that the track record of quarterback development factored into his transfer decision.
“Different coaches try to sell you on different things, but when there's consistent proof of your ability to do something, that kind of transcends any words you hear in a meeting,” Moss said. “I think it gives you more confidence in what they're saying.”
Moss said it’s unique to be coached by Brohm and his brother Brian, Louisville’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, because they both played quarterback in the NFL and understand his perspective as a player. He added that it was important for him to develop in a pro-style offense.
“In order to win at a high level, a lot of things have to take place, but you have to have great quarterback play,” said Jeff Brohm, who emphasized the importance of having a good running game, strong offensive line and sound defense. “All those things matter to great quarterback play, and we hope for Miller to have a great year, and we are definitely optimistic that with the weapons that we have and the team we have that he will excel and play extremely well for us.”
Moss threw for 2,555 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions in nine starts last season at USC before he was benched for Jayden Maiava. He’s accustomed to the expectations of following up an NFL-bound quarterback in Shough, considering he replaced 2024 No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams with the Trojans.
The bigger adjustment for him was perhaps the move to Kentucky from California, where Moss has lived his entire life. He said Louisville was covered in snow when he flew in, quite the change from temperate Los Angeles. Though Moss doesn’t have much experience playing in cold weather, he said he’s hopeful to still be playing when snow falls again.
Louisville is already endearing itself to him with its food scene, specifically Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse. Like a true Kentuckian, Moss said he went to the Derby and tried the famous mint julep — but he wasn’t a fan.
“I might catch some heat for this, but I’m not a big bourbon guy or anything like that,” Moss said.
Still, Moss said the community has welcomed him with open arms and that Louisville has been a perfect fit for what he wanted in a program. He emphasized the importance of having good people around him, which he said can get lost in an era with so much player movement.
Moss said there’s more to his game than what he put on tape at USC, like the ability to extend plays with his legs. That would bring a new wrinkle to Louisville's offense, one of the most efficient in the ACC over the past two seasons.
Moss said he’s working to master a deep playbook with training camp starting next week and the Cardinals’ season set to kick off on Aug. 30 against Eastern Kentucky.
“I think when you begin to learn an offense, obviously there's hearing the play call, going out there and saying, ‘OK, this is my job. This is what I have to do,’” Moss said. “But I think as you continue to master the elements of the offense — you get the play call, ‘This is what we want versus this play. If we don't get this, this is what we're checking to’ — I think you can kind of ascend the levels of mastery within a system, and I'm looking forward to continuing to do that.”
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
