Lincoln Riley Has USC Back On The National Radar Just In Time

It's been a slow build for the USC Trojans during the Lincoln Riley era. But after taking a step in the right direction last season, Riley has Southern Cal trending towards national relevancy.

Sep 27, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before an NCAA football game with the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

When Lincoln Riley spoke following the USC Trojans win over UCLA in the regular season finale, he talked about the ascension of the program. Riley reiterated that sentiment in following a loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl.  

A successful season has been defined by an appearance in the College Football Playoff. But a nine-win regular season in 2025 was a step in right direction for USC following its six-win mark in the regular season in 2024. 

Sep 27, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before an NCAA football game with the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

USC had its share of disappointing losses last season. A last second loss to Illinois, a fourth quarter collapse against Notre Dame or simply being outmatched by Oregon. 

But it shouldn’t erase the good which included an upset win over Michigan, overcoming a 14-point deficit in the rain to Iowa or comeback victory on the road to Nebraska. 

With a crucial year on the horizon, does Riley truly have the Trojans trending in an upward direction? 2026 marks a pivitol season for the Trojans coach.

Two Lincoln Riley Eras at USC

Dec 30, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches in the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs during the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Four years into Lincoln Riley’s and it has been defined by two eras. The first was Caleb Williams’ two seasons at USC, where they essentially put everything on their Heisman Trophy winners shoulders and relied heavily on the transfer portal. 

What followed kickstarted a program transformation because Riley learned from previous mistakes. The Trojans coach described 2024 as a foundation and the 2025 team as the most important team. Both of whom are setting the pace for the future. 

“The portal has made all of us in college football more impatient,” said On3’s JD Pickell. “You see success stories like TCU plays for a Natty and [Curt] Cignetti in his second year with Indiana wins a Natty but in terms of the slow build, it feels like USC has built it in a sustainable way. You slowly but surely start to stockpile talent and then grab a guy in [Jayden] Maiava you keep around who is now going into his third year in the system. 

“It hasn’t been exciting in terms of this quick ascension but I do think similar to other places across the country like Miami and Texas have been this way. A slow build in my mind usually means it’s a a more sustainable build when it comes to roster talent, culture, way of doing things. It feels like year five its actually fair now to expect a playoff berth and competing for a Big Ten title because you have done the work that’s required over the course of the last four years.”

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USC has made vast changes over the last year, starting with hiring Chad Bowden to be its general manager. He assembled an All-Star recruiting department that has transformed their fortunes on the trail and led to them signing the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle. The changes have also put USC in a much better position to retain talent on its roster. 

Riley has made significant changes to his coaching staff. Cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed and inside receivers coach/tight ends coach Chad Savage were hired last season and their impact was felt on the field and in recruiting. Zach Hanson was moved from tight ends to the offensive line coach and created depth and versatility on the front. 

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (right) talks with quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This offseason, longtime TCU coach Gary Patterson was brought in to become the school’s next defensive coordinator. Patteson brings over one of his longtime assistants in Paul Gonzales to be the secondary coach. Mike Ekeler left Nebraska to become the Trojans special teams and linebackers coach. All in effort to improve player development. 

It’s been a slow build but Riley has taken the necessary steps to set the program up to be successful. The work has been laid out off the field and now it’s time for it to translate on the field. 

It includes being better as a team from the top down on the road and in critical ranked matchups, which they will see plenty of in 2026. It sets up the stage for USC to show they are in fact headed in an upward trend.