Lincoln Riley, head coach of the USC Trojans football team, on the sidelines as a guest at the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. - Bobak Ha'Eri - Wikimedia Commons
USC head coach Lincoln Riley grew up about as far from Hollywood as you can get.
He played quarterback at Muleshoe High School outside Amarillo, Texas, which sounds less like a real town and more like the backdrop of a road game from Friday Night Lights. It’s the kind of place I imagine smells like fresh-cut grass and ingenuity.
While quarterbacking the Mules his sophomore year, Riley “busted up” his shoulder chasing down a pick-six in a scrimmage. His shoulder was never the same. He developed a side-arm throwing technique, which severely limited his power and pop.
After missing out on some big-time college offers, Riley landed as a walk-on at Texas Tech, then coached by legendary Air Raid prophet Mike Leach. Underwhelmed by Riley’s passing abilities, Leach cut Riley during his first spring ball. Then he offered Riley his first coaching gig.
What came next was a winding road coaching journey, one that stretched from Lubbock and East Carolina to Norman, Oklahoma, and later to Los Angeles.
A hell of a lot of yards and a few Heisman Trophy quarterbacks later, Riley finds himself at a crossroads.
Through three seasons in LA, Riley’s record sits at 26-14, a far cry from the 55-10 pace he was on while at Oklahoma. Despite churning out another Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Caleb Williams, the wins haven’t followed in the same way.
Since stepping foot in Heritage Hall, Riley had to fire his longtime defensive confidant in Alex Grinch. He flipped USC’s entire backroom staff. And he’s grappled with the reality of stiffer competition since the Trojans joined the Big 10 conference.
Riley was once known as the top young college coaching prospect in the country. Now, he’s leading a program struggling to meet the modern demands of the sport he once took by storm.
The Reality Check
Things had gone from bad to worse on defense since Grinch followed Riley from Oklahoma. In 2023, the defense allowed an average of 34.5 points per game and was in the bottom 30 in the country in nearly every statistical category.
Grinch’s dismissal was a major inflection point for Riley. Riley strikes me as a very loyal guy. Some might say he was loyal to a fault when retaining Grinch. But more than anything, this structural change was an acknowledgement of past miscalculations and the first crack in the Lincoln Riley-USC foundation.
After moving on from Grinch, USC didn’t have to go far for its new defensive coordinator. A national search led the Trojans across the proverbial street, where Riley poached away D’Anton Lynn from crosstown rivals UCLA.
Last season, the defense made some significant strides in Lynn’s first year on the job. The Trojans went from giving up over 34 points per game under Grinch to down to 24 points per game in 2024. That unit also gave up almost 60 fewer yards per game. That group tackled better, did a better job rallying to the ball, and appeared to be in the right places more frequently.
In the offseason, other schools attempted to hire Lynn away, but he opted to stay put and received a contract extension. In a year where so much has changed within the USC football program, keeping hold of Lynn was a big deal for Riley.
After years of blown leads and unmet expectations, Riley will hope that retaining Lynn—and giving this defense some continuity—will go a long way in helping get this program back on the right path.
USC’s Backroom Facelift
For all the complaints about the on-field product, perhaps one of the biggest glaring issues at USC during the Riley era was the backroom structure and operation.
In an interview with CBS college football personality Josh Pate, Riley was candid about the changes NIL and paying players have had on getting this program up and running.
“You’re still building a best team but now the means of how you’re doing it have shifted completely. It’s a totally different mindset in doing it. Are we adapting? Certainly. Are some of the decisions we made a few years ago, would we have made those in this current climate? No, we definitely would have done different things. We all knew this one coming some form, but I don’t think any of us could have predicted how quickly it’s changed, how fundamentally it’s changed, the whole college football world is trying to adapt right now, which I think for everyone is a little difficult to keep up with.”
To get the Trojans’ house in order, Riley took a big swing this offseason, poaching away former Notre Dame GM Chad Bowden, who called USC a “sleeping giant” of college football. Bowden will be tasked with NIL planning, roster management and transfer portal tactics.
This was a monster get for Riley and the Trojans. Bowden comes with a certain level of credibility that would’ve been hard to find elsewhere. Hiring someone with extensive experience signifies that Riley is no longer relying on trusted friendships and is instead building out a true infrastructure.
Make no bones about it, this type of restructuring isn’t always sexy, but it’s serious. I think it’s a great thing that Riley now realizes that USC can’t just out-talent everyone anymore and that the Trojans need true alignment, structure and support.
Big 10 Expectations
Before joining the Big 10 prior to last season, a myriad of questions surfaced about USC’s transition and fit in a new, more powerful league.
Is Lincoln Riley’s offense built for Midwest Novembers?
Can the Trojans’ defense handle a run-heavy league?
How does USC stack up with traditional Big 10 powers Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State?
After one season, the Trojans have done anything but dissuade those questions. Last year, USC opted for quarterback Miller Moss, who impressed in the previous season’s bowl game. He lasted a little over half the year and was replaced by current starter Jayden Maiava.
Maiva is the classic giveth and taketh away quarterback. He does some nice things, but oftentimes, he just can’t help himself when there’s a tight window or difficult throw. He’d probably be a lot better off if he were more inclined to hit the check-down man instead of forcing balls downfield.
In the Nebraska game, Maiava showed flashes of brilliance, finishing with a little over 250 yards, three touchdowns, and just one interception. In the Notre Dame game, however, he struggled and tossed a pair of back-breaking pick-sixes.
Devoid of a better option, USC and Riley have to live with both the good and the bad. In 2025, Riley will hope a full offseason in the system will pay dividends for a quarterback with obvious talent.
Last season, the Trojans’ offense was largely fine, finishing ranked 23rd in the country. Running the ball was a big problem, though, despite having a running back as skilled as Woody Marks. USC mustered just 145 rushing yards per game, good for 82nd in the country. That number just isn’t good enough, especially considering the Big 10 weather from October onwards.
Looking forward to 2025, I suspect Maiava and the offense as a whole would benefit from a better semblance of balance. Run the ball to set up the pass, if you will. The jury is still out on whether a Lincoln Riley-led team can operate that way.
Make no bones about it, though. Riley will need this offense to perform in 2025. That side of the ball is his calling card, and without a good showing, he’ll likely be one foot into the unemployment line.
Back in 2018, Lincoln Riley’s East Carolina offense was flying.
The Pirates had just hung 70 on in-state powerhouse North Carolina. Riley was the hottest OC on the circuit. He seemingly had the pick of the litter when it came to taking a head coaching job.
When asked about how he’ll eventually settle on taking a head coaching gig, Riley said this to Bleacher Report:
"I want to be a head coach one day, but I don’t know if I’m necessarily in a hurry to be one," he said. "That’s a career goal for me at some point. The key is—the thing that’s been stressed to me—making the right move is important, but avoiding making the wrong move, that’s the biggest thing.”
Three years, two defensive coordinators and one Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback later, it’s fair if Lincoln Riley and everyone associated with the program found themselves asking whether he’s made the wrong move.
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