Lincoln Riley says this USC team is more equipped to win than past iterations: 'That's not a hope or a wish. Those are facts'

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CHICAGO — USC football has reached the end of its four-year runway under Lincoln Riley. The Trojans are supposed to leave the tarmac in 2026. Riley's certainly talking like his team is about to take off.

The soon-to-be 43-year-old head coach oozed confidence on Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days, an event he's previously expressed cautious optimism about a USC program he took over ahead of the 2022 season. Riley told reporters at the Hilton Chicago that, back then, the program had cobwebs.

"There were some things ignored at this place for years," Riley said. "I mean, that's why it was in the position it was when we came here."

At the time, the Trojans were coming off a 4-8 campaign. They hadn't won more than eight games since 2017. Riley oversaw an immediate turnaround. He brought now-Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams over from Oklahoma, Williams won the Heisman Trophy and USC catapulted to the doorstep of the College Football Playoff.

It's still searching for that elusive first CFP appearance, however. Riley admitted that the Trojans went too portal-heavy the following season, Williams' final go-around before becoming the top pick in the NFL Draft. Then USC rode the Big Ten roller coaster amid its first two seasons in the conference, suffering a slew of agonizing defeats in 2023 and taking a much-needed step in the right direction in 2024. Fast-forward to Year 5, and Riley is setting the table for a breakthrough.

"Every year I expect to win, I expect us to win, I expect us to compete for and win championships, and that doesn't change," he said at the podium.

"I certainly will give you what has changed, is I do believe we're more equipped than at any point in the previous few years. That's not a hope or a wish. Those are facts, and there's a lot of facts to back that up."

Justin Casterline via Getty Images

Riley touted the Trojans' alignment and momentum.

He rattled off all the changes his group has endured in recent years: a new university president, a new athletic director and a new conference. But now he feels the Trojans are steady and ready.

"It's a culmination of all of it. It's a culmination of knowing that our leadership is steady. It's knowing that our NIL is in a good place. It's knowing that we now reside in maybe the best football facility in the country," Riley said, alluding to the Bloom Football Performance Center, a $200 million facility that helped the Trojans secure the No. 1-rated 2026 recruiting class.

"It's knowing the staff we brought together, the talent we have. I won't paint this picture like it's perfect, but it is just so much more well-equipped to win consistently right now. It's so different. So with that, a lot of my time and energy now goes into just the team winning."

He added: "We're all a product of our own experiences. And the places I've been where we won a lot, that's what it's felt like. The main thing was the main thing, and everything else is kind of handled."

Namely, Riley doesn't feel like he has to worry about his defense. That unit's now led by coordinator Gary Patterson, better known as the longtime TCU head coach who oversaw the Horned Frogs from 2000-2021. The Trojans made progress under DC D'Anton Lynn the past two seasons, except the group still ranked in the bottom half of the Big Ten in points per game allowed (23) during the 2025 campaign.

The belief inside the program is that Patterson will get the Trojans' defense to the next level, to the point where it appropriately complements Riley's patented offense.

"With Coach Patterson, he didn't come for anything less but to win," USC defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren told Yahoo Sports.

VanSumeren, considered by Riley as a "linchpin" on the Trojans' defensive line, transferred in from Michigan State. He's joining a defense that returns standouts, including fellow defensive lineman Jide Abasiri. Together, they could set the tone inside for a line that will feature an imposing pass-rushing pairing of Kameryn Crawford and Braylan Shelby. Then there's Desman Stephens II. He headlines an enticing linebacking corps.

As a whole, the crew needs to be better on third down and to bring its A-game versus top-tier opponents. In its three regular-season losses last season, USC allowed 34 points to then-No. 23 Illinois, 34 points to then-No. 13 Notre Dame and 42 points to then-No. 7 Oregon. Of course, special teams held the Trojans back, with a kickoff return touchdown and a punt return touchdown staining their defeats to Notre Dame and Oregon, respectively.

USC is aiming for an upgrade in that department, too. Riley hired Mike Ekeler to take over as special teams coordinator this season.

As much as those two phases of the game will be monitored, USC's fate in 2026 could very well hinge on the performance of quarterback Jayden Maiava. The redshirt senior has started 17 games for the Trojans. He was given the keys to the offense down the stretch of the 2024 season, in which he replaced Miller Moss as the team's QB1. Last year, he ran with the job, throwing 24 touchdowns against 10 picks while posting a 65.8% completion percentage and accumulating 3,711 yards through the air.

Abasiri says what makes Maiava a headache to defend in practice is his elusiveness. Maiava rushed for six scores in 2025. Perhaps more importantly, he's adept at navigating the pocket and evading sacks.

Riley explained that when he began working with Maiava in the lead-up to the 2024 season, following Maiava's transfer from UNLV, the Palolo, Hawaii, native was "so raw," particularly in his football knowledge. By this point, Riley classifies him as "one of the best quarterbacks in the country."

"Of all the guys that I've been fortunate enough to coach, I don't know that I've had any that have improved from Day 1 to this point as much as Jayden has," said Riley, who has coached not only Williams but also fellow Heisman winners Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield.

Maiava has become more open since arriving at USC, and he's embraced the leadership aspect of his position, according to Riley. That said, he remains humble as can be.

"I mean, if you talk to him, you would think he's a fourth-string walk-on or whatever," VanSumeren said.

Although Maiava wasn't nearly as bold in his remarks Tuesday as his head coach, he did utter the same mantra. He described the core value of this year's Trojans team as "just keeping the main thing the main thing."

"I think the main thing is blocking out whatever you got to block out and really focus on just straight ball," he said.

Despite a rigorous schedule that's colored with matchups against Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana, Riley's Trojans are ready for liftoff.

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