Lincoln Riley's Evolution With the USC Trojans Over the Years

It feels like a lifetime ago when Bob Stoops retired as the head coach at Oklahoma in June of 2017 and Sooners offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley took over. Riley was just 33 years old at the time and the youngest head coach at the FBS level.

Fast forward and Riley isn’t the same coach he was nine years ago. He’s not the same coach he was in 2021 when he sent shockwaves through college football by making the move to USC or even when they joined the Big Ten in 2024.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Recruiting Class Oklahoma Luke Wafle Trent Mosley Chad Bowden Head Coach Fall Camp Big Ten — Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“I think the best coaches are great delegators and have enough self-awareness to know what they need to tweak and look in the mirror and say we’re weak here and need to change this,” said On3 college football analyst JD Pickell in an exclusive interview. “Most of his quote-on-quote previous weaker points of what his teams have been, you feel good about what they’ve hired around him.”

The Trojans have made several changes over the past couple of seasons to not only compete in the Big Ten but take steps to building Southern Cal back into a program that is in the national spotlight in college football.

“There’s so much more built out around him,” Pickell said. “That’s why if you’re a USC fan, you’re like it’s finally all in place. Everything that we’ve been hoping for a while is finally in place.”

New Approach on the Field

When USC first joined the Big Ten, they were not well equipped to handle what came with being in the conference at the line of scrimmage. They ran into a rude awakening in their first ever conference game against Michigan.

From there, the Trojans have put an emphasis on building an offensive and defensive line that could not only compete in the Big Ten but change games. USC is down two potential starters in center Kilian O’Connor, who is out for the season, and defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, who is expected to miss the first three weeks.

In years past those injuries would be have been detrimental. And while they are still losses, thanks to some roster retention, key transfer portal additions and obtaining blue-chip high school prospects, those position groups remain two of their biggest strengths on the roster.

Last summer, Riley pulled strength coach Trumain Carroll away from Kansas State. He’s a culture changer and for the first time, the Trojans look like a Big Ten team across the board because of his workouts.

Southern Cal has put a premium on improving its special teams units with the hiring of coach Mike Ekeler. Special teams blunders were costly in key losses last year, so Riley immediately fixed the problem. In the spring, every coach on the Trojans staff was involved with coaching special teams to begin practice, even Riley.

During fall camp, Riley, an offensive guru, was seen running the scout team quarterback during individual drills. For a coach that has been criticized for only caring about the offensive side of the ball, that narrative is outdated. Riley is no longer the coach that just wants to outscore his opponents in shootout.

Carroll and Ekeler are just two of the most recent hires that have a drastic impact on the program. Defensive coordinator Gary Patterson is the headliner. Riley hired the Hall of Fame coach in January to fix that side of the ball. Patterson brought with him on of his longtime assistants, safety coach Paul Gonzlaes.

Inside receiver/tight end coach Chad Savage and cornerback coach Trovon Reed were hired in January of last season, while Zach Hanson moved from tight end to offensive line coach at the same time. All three were instrumental in the Trojans landing the No. 1 recruiting class and Riley enters the 2026 season with his strongest coaching staff since arriving at USC.

Fixing Recruiting Strategy

The expectation when USC hired Riley in November 2021, the first year players were able to capitalize on their name, image and likeness, was that the Trojans would reclaim the state of California in recruiting.

That never happened. Schools such as Oregon, Texas A&M and Alabama and others were signing local prospects at a higher rate than USC. And in many cases, the Trojans weren’t even in the picture.

They lacked relationships with local high schools, other programs had a stronger presence at national powerhouse schools such as Mater Dei and St. John Bosco and throughout the 70-mile radius that surrounds the campus, a recruiting hotspot. Their NIL resources were in the gutter and simply couldn’t compete in the current climate of college football.

That all changed as Riley and athletic director Jen Cohen pulled general manager Chad Bowden away from Notre Dame in January of last year, who immediately fixed the programs NIL collectives. They hired an NFL-style front office and two years in, the Trojans have reestablished themselves as the preeminent recruiting force in California. A massive shift that is going to have a dramatic effect on the team this season.

USC Trojans general manager Chad Bowden hired from Notre Dame Fighting Irish | USC Trojans Video Youtube

Local players such as receivers Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, tight end Mark Bowman, defensive lineman Tomuhini “TomTom” Topui and linebacker Talanoa Ili are set to make an immediate impact. Safety Madden Riordan and running back Deshonne Redeaux are two other local prospects that could contribute. Freshmen in their backyard they would have not signed had it not been for a revamped personnel department and new coaching hires.

But it’s not just in-state players. USC had a wave of massive out-of-state recruiting wins in freshman defensive end Luke Wafle, the No. 1 overall recruit, receiver Boobie Feaster, guard Breck Kolojay and cornerback Rock Hill. Players they would not have pulled out west without the significant changes within the program. Overall, it's a talented group of young players that add to a team that returns the most starters in college football.

"It's the most durable version of USC we've seen since Riley's gotten there," Pickell said.

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