Lincoln Riley Admits He Felt 'Guilt and Sadness' Leaving Oklahoma

USC head football coach Lincoln Riley is finally speaking out.

On Tuesday, Riley released a vulnerable letter with The Players Tribune, detailing his difficult decision to leave the Oklahoma Sooners.

"I always figured I would end my coaching career at OU. But when my agent called me to pass along interest from USC, I was immediately intrigued by the possibilities," Riley wrote.

"Everything that happened next was a blur: I jumped on a Zoom with USC officials, I informed our athletic director, Joe Castiglione, of my decision and then, in one of the most difficult moments of my life and career, I stood in front of our Oklahoma team to let them know that I was leaving.

I saw the immediate consequences of my decision on the faces of our players. I really hated the timing, because our team was coming off a gut-wrenching loss, but with the recent rule changes in college football impacting the recruiting cycle, it certainly affected the timeline and made a difficult transition even tougher. Shortly after that meeting, USC announced the news, and my family and I were on our way to Los Angeles.

On the plane ride to Los Angeles, so many emotions were flowing through my mind. I was so excited about USC and its potential, but I was also filled with some guilt and sadness realizing that Norman was no longer home.

There are aspects of my departure and transition that I would certainly do differently if I could do it again, and I acknowledge that I could have handled some parts of the situation better. I absolutely own that. While I was able to talk with several players after the team meeting, I wish I would have had the time to sit down with each individual player and staff member to explain my decision," said Riley.

"From the moment we touched down in L.A., everything moved quickly. There was so much to do, but also so much excitement and energy around the program and the city. I quickly embraced everything about USC: the elite academics, the opportunities in Los Angeles, and undoubtedly one of the greatest college football programs of all time.

It was clear from my opening press conference at the Coliseum that the Trojan faithful were hungry to get this program back to the top of the collegiate football landscape."

Riley was hired by USC Athletics on November 28, just one day after Oklahoma fell to Oklahoma State 37-33.

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