Lincoln Riley Makes Bold USC Statement Amid Rising Expectations
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USC head coach Lincoln Riley believes he is a better coach now than he was at Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to significant success, including multiple playoff runs.
For a long time, Riley has been at the center of attention in the college coaching world, with genuine interest from NFL teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, in hiring him as a head coach.
Additionally, he has been credited with bringing high-powered offenses to Oklahoma, with multiple quarterbacks coming in and revitalizing their careers with great success.
Other big schools have expressed interest over the years, but it was the Southern California weather that led him to leave Norman, Oklahoma.
Thus far, however, USC has not reached the same heights as he did in Oklahoma. At the end of 2025, USC was 35-18 under Riley. He went 55-10 with Oklahoma, with four Big 12 titles and three playoff appearances in five seasons
The offense for USC has been as advertised, with electric quarterback play and high-scoring games, but the defense has left a lot to be desired.
However, despite the lack of success compared to Oklahoma, Reily believes he is a better coach now than before.
“I’m a lot better coach than at any point during the years at Oklahoma,” he said. “I’ve definitely learned and grown a lot. There are a lot of things I’ve learned now that I wish I had known back then.”
What Riley would change about his first few years with USC
According to the coach, USC’s slow buildup has been derailed by mistakes in adding talent, with too much focus on the transfer portal and not enough on local talent.
“The biggest thing that probably affected our timeline was that we went all in to try to really push in Year 2,” Riley said.
“And we missed some key guys in that portal. If you miss, not only does it affect you that year, then that’s also a group of high school kids that you didn’t take. You aren’t developing.
“If I had to do it over, in hindsight, which we know is not reality, I would have dove into the high school (recruiting) more. You know, I would have shifted more of the focus to the high school stuff in the second year.”
SoCal is a hotbed for talent, and Riley has put together an elite recruiting class that will likely make or break his time with the Trojans.
The post Lincoln Riley Makes Bold USC Statement Amid Rising Expectations appeared first on LA Sports Report.
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