Updated Coach Rankings: USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley's Surprising Rank

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley is ranked as the No. 13 best Power Four coach in college football for the 2025 season. The top five coaches ranked were Georgia's Kirby Smart, Ohio State's Ryan Day, Clemson's Dabo Swinney, Texas' Steve Sarkisian, and Oregon's Dan Lanning.
Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA;  USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley is ranked as the No. 13 best Power Four coach in college football for the 2025 college football season according to CBS Sports. College football writer Tom Fornelli released the rankings for all 68 Power Four coaches on Wednesday. 

Lincoln Riley Ranked No. 13 Best Power Four Coach

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts after the game against the Texa
Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley dropped three spots from his 2024 ranking on Power Four college football coaches according to Tom Fornelli. Last season, Riley was ranked at No. 10. The top five coaches ranked were Georgia's Kirby Smart, Ohio State's Ryan Day, Clemson's Dabo Swinney, Texas' Steve Sarkisian, and Oregon's Dan Lanning.

“I was surprised by Riley’s rankings after compiling the ballots. I figured he’d drop further, seeing how he’s gone 15-11 his last two years at USC,” Fornelli said. “He was brought in to restore the program to a national title contender, but he hasn’t.”

2025 will be Riley’s fourth season at USC. It got off to a great start in year one, when the Trojans went 11-3 with Hesiman trophy winning quarterback and future No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. Since then, it has been a disappointment, as Fornelli states that Riley's record is 15-11 the past two seasons. Another season like that could forth cause Riley to slide far down the coach rankings. 

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Lincoln Riley’s Move From Oklahoma To USC

Then-OU coach Lincoln Riley talks with quarterback Caleb Williams (13) during a 37-33 loss at OSU on Nov. 27.
Then-OU coach Lincoln Riley talks with quarterback Caleb Williams (13) during a 37-33 loss at OSU on Nov. 27. cover / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lincoln Riley took the USC job prior to the 2022 season after a very successful run as coach of the Oklahoma Sooners from 2017 through 2021. Riley had an astounding record of 55-10 with four Big 12 titles and three College Football Playoff appearances. This clearly still factors in Riley’s ranking, but the more time that passes by, the less it will matter. 

“He’s still the coach who led Oklahoma to the playoff four times (three times) in five seasons and did produce another Heisman with the Trojans,” Fornelli said. “If he has another mediocre season in 2025, though, I bet we see the bottom fall out on his ranking.”

In his time at both Oklahoma and USC, Riley has coached three different Heisman trophy winners; quarterback Baker Mayfield in 2017, quarterback Kyler Murray in 2018, and quarterback Caleb Williams in 2022. All three of these quarterbacks also eventually ended up being the No. 1 selection in their respective NFL Draft’s.

While Riley has had a good history getting the most out of his quarterbacks, that was not the case last season. The Trojans gave the starting job to Miller Moss. Late in the season with USC fighting to secure a bowl game berth, Riley benched Moss for backup quarterback Jayden Maiava. Maiava was solid in his four starts and he will now be the starting quarterback for the Trojans in Week One when they host the Missouri State Bears at the Los Angeles Memorial on August 30.

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Cory Pappas
CORY PAPPAS

Cory Pappas is sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Oregon Ducks On SI. Since starting in March of 2024, he has been writing breaking news stories, game previews, game recaps, and more across College Sports, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics for Total Apex Sports. In addition to writing, Cory is also a sports data scout for Sportradar. He covers live sporting events ranging from college athletics to semi-pro and professional. Before joining the industry, Cory graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022. He ran track for Oregon's club Track and Field team. Before Oregon, he played varsity basketball and track and field in high school in Walnut Creek, CA. Cory is using his lifelong passion for sports and writing together.