Oklahoma Braces for Potential Recruiting Impact Felt by Lincoln Riley's Departure

Riley's recruiting roots in Southern California could serve him well in move to USC.

Lincoln Riley is no longer the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners.

After speculation of a move to LSU ran rampant over the last month, it was the USC Trojans that truthfully had Riley’s eye as he makes the shocking move to leave Norman and take over the premier program in the Pac-12.

Now, for Oklahoma, the question of where they go from here is one that will be heavily discussed in the coming days and weeks.

Whoever the new head coach is for the Sooners, they will have to do some major damage control as they try to hold together the significant recruiting strides the program had made under Riley.

But before that, objective No. 1 will be holding onto young phenom quarterback Caleb Williams.

Williams, a 5-star recruit in the 2021 class, took over as starting quarterback this year midseason and appears to be a star in the making in the seasons to come.

But without Riley, would Williams want to jump ship as well? Whether that be to USC with Riley or elsewhere?

Caleb Williams

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Finding a way to make sure Williams stays in Norman is without question the top objective for the new head coach.

From there, the recruiting trail will be hard to maintain especially given where many of Riley’s most highly-touted recruits reside.

In the 2023 class alone, the Sooners currently have multiple elite-level prospects from southern California headlined by 5-star quarterback Malachi Nelson.

Without Riley in Norman, would Nelson and others want to follow him to nearby USC?

That certainly looks to be the case with 2022 5-star running back Raleek Brown, who hails from Santa Ana, CA, for he tweeted shortly after the news something that would seem to imply an interest in flipping his commitment to USC.

How Riley’s decision will affect Oklahoma’s current recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023, as well as the current roster, will certainly be worth keeping a close eye on as this continues to unfold.

SI Sooners will continue to monitor this stunning situation as it develops.