Lincoln Riley’s USC Makeover Is Becoming Hard To Ignore

The worst thing a coach or a program can become is arrogant. Getting caught in past ways and a failure to adapt can lead to a downward spiral.

USC made a big splash when they hired Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley in November 2021. He led the Trojans to an 11-win season in his first year but also made mistakes early in his tenure. However, acknowledging those shortcomings and taking the necessary steps to fix them has led to a better culture and more structure for the program.

Dec 10, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams (right) poses for photos with his head coach Lincoln Riley during a press conference in the Astor Ballroom at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York, NY, after winning the 2022 Heisman Trophy. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Leveling Up Recruiting Approach

USC had largely struggled with local recruiting, and they have paid for it. The Trojans opened the door for other programs to take over their backyard during the back half of the Clayton Helton era and that door widened early under Riley as NIL was introduced to college football. They were holding onto out-of-state recruits for a short period of time or losing them late in the cycle.

After landing the No. 7 recruiting class in 2023, they dropped to No. 20 in 2024 and No. 15 in 2025. And for a program that is a national brand and resides in a recruiting hotbed that is filled with a pool of blue-chip prospects every cycle, those rankings were a massive disappointment.

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

USC needed to modernize their approach with recruiting and roster management. The next step was hiring a general manager. They targeted Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan, but after striking out in 2024, the Trojans expanded its search.

Southern Cal pulled Chad Bowden away from Notre Dame in January 2025 and immediately hired an All-Star staff around him, which included assistant general manager Dre Brown, who left his alma mater at Illinois, and former Wisconsin general manager Max Stienecker to be the executive director of player personnel. Aaron Amaama, aka Coach Dogg, was promoted to assistant director of high school recruiting relations and Weston Zernechel was promoted to director of recruiting.

The recruiting game has changed drastically from when Riley first became a head coach at Oklahoma in 2017 to when he came to Los Angeles. While a head coaches role on the recruiting trail is still very important, having an NFL-style front office is vital. And USC has unequivocally assembled one of the best staffs in the country. The result in their first year was the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle and another top 5-10 class in the 2027 cycle.

Bowden led the efforts in fixing the Trojans NIL collectives, restoring recruiting pipelines in Southern California and roster retention. USC returns the most returning starters in college football next season to pair with elite group of freshmen who are ready to make immediate impact in the fall.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Recruiting Class Big Ten Gary Patterson NIL Collectives Transfer Portal Chad Bowden — 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 | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Building a Strong Coaching Staff

Riley would probably acknowledge privately that keeping former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch on during the 2023 season was detrimental for the Trojans. Riley brought Grinch over with him from Oklahoma, but a disastrous defense kept them out of the College Football Playoff in 2022. Grinch was fired before the end of the 2023 season as USC ranked at the bottom of almost every statistical category on defense. Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams was asked to play Superman every week with Grinch running the show on the defensive side of the ball.

Riley hired defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn away from crosstown rival UCLA. Strides were made but not at the level needed for the Trojans to compete in the upper echelon of the Big Ten. When Lynn left this past December to take the same job with Penn State, his alma mater, Riley was diligent in his search and hired a former Big 12 rival, longtime TCU head coach and College Football Hall of Fame electee Gary Patterson.

Oct 2, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson and Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game against at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Patterson has been one of the more successful coaches of the 21st century and has a phenomenal history of player development. The 66-year-old inherits more talent than he’s ever had at any point in his coaching career.

Similar to the personnel staff, USC made big changes to its coaching staff in January 2025. Three big hires have made, inside receivers/tight ends coach Chad Savage, cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed and moving tight ends coach Zach Hanson to offensive line coach. Three coaches vital to the programs recruiting surge and their player development was on display last season. Strength and conditioning coach Trumain Carroll was hired away from Kansas State last May and his effect on the program has been felt.

And then this offseason, Riley hired former Nebraska coach Mike Ekeler to be the teams special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. The highly passionate Ekeler can elevate two facets of the game.

Safeties coach Paul Gonzales reunites Patterson in Los Angeles. Gonzales spent three seasons as a GA and another decade as a cornerbacks or safeties coach at TCU, mostly under Patterson. He spent last season at Baylor. Nickels coach Sam Carter comes over from Louisiana Tech. Carter was an All-American safety for the Horned Frogs in 2014. Defensive tackles coach Skyler Jones and outside linebackers coach AJ Howard were both elevated from their analyst roles.

Running backs coach Anthony Jones returns for his third season, while receivers coach Dennis Simmons, who began his coaching career with Riley at Texas Tech nearly two decades ago, came over with him from Oklahoma. Simmons and defensive ends coach Shaun Nua have been with Riley all five years at USC.

Recruiting talent and retaining players is one thing, developing them is another thing and Riley has assembled his strongest staff as a head coach to improve the Trojans recruiting efforts and start turning guys not just into quality starters, but NFL bodies.

Adapting as a Program

When Riley first came to USC, the 2022 team, replicated his Big 12 teams. A high-octane offense with a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback but poor defensive play. That form of team couldn’t stand up in the Big Ten, evident by their struggles at the line of scrimmage in their inaugural season in the conference in 2024.

USC has invested heavily in the trenches in recruiting the past couple of cycles. This season they return all five starters on the offensive line and bring in a talented group of freshman that are physically developed and capable of shaking up the lineup.

Defensive line is perhaps the deepest position group on the roster. That or the offensive line. On the defensive line, the Trojans have signed four top 100 prospects in the past three recruiting cycles. USC has also signed a plethora of blue-chip recruits and added a couple of key transfers. Two position units that can change the identity of the programs.

Southern Cal has shifted its focus to high school recruiting. The transfer portal is viewed as a luxury, instead of a necessity or priority. And this past cycle, they focused on players that have proven production at the Power Four level.

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) poses with fans after the game against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Riley's pass heavy approach in 2024 was a problem. Quarterback Miller Moss had three games where he attempted at least 50 passes in his nine starts. Something Williams did only once in his three years as a starter under Riley and none of his Oklahoma quarterbacks did once. Throwing the ball over 40 times was a rarity in Norman.

In 2025, Riley took advantage of his revamped offensive line and running back room and became a more balanced play-caller. It helped lead to a three-game increase in the win column.

In a pressure packed 2026 campaign, will this be the season everything comes together for Riley at USC?

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