Two Things USC's Lincoln Riley Looks for in a Quarterback

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley has coached some of the best quarterbacks in college football history. Since becoming a head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners back in 2017 and then coming to USC in 2022, Riley has coached three different Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks than ended up being No. 1 overall picks in the NFL Draft.

What Lincoln Riley Looks for in a Quarterback

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Caleb Williams Heisman Trophy Oklahoma Sooners Kyler Murray College Football Playoff Baker Mayfield — 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

Lincoln Riley went on The Heisman Trophy Podcast and talked about what he looks for in the quarterback.

“I’ve tried to stick to, I want to get excited about what I see on tape, but I want to feel equally as excited about the conversations we have and just about working with the person,” Riley said. “If I’m really excited about both, then that’s been my little, inner barometer, if you will. Like this is somebody that meets the criteria and I feel like can really work.”

Riley went on to say that all three of the quarterbacks that won a Heisman Trophy with him coaching: Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Caleb Williams, showed that.

Oklahoma Heisman Winners

Two of the Heisman Trophy winners Riley coached were at Oklahoma. Mayfield won the 2017 Heisman Trophy. In this season, he threw for 4,627 yards with 43 touchdowns. Mayfield also rushed for 311 yards and five rushing touchdowns, leading the Sooners to a College Football Playoff appearance. He was selected No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

Mayfield had an up and down career in Cleveland, but has had a career resurgence as the starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The year after Mayfield was drafted, Riley and Oklahoma turned to Kyler Murray to be the starting quarterback. Murray won the 2018 Heisman Trophy by throwing for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns. He added another 1,001 yards rushing and 12 rushing touchdowns. The Sooners made the playoff for the second straight season.

Murray was selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Murray had some really good moments in Arizona, but the two just recently parted ways. Murray is now on the Minnesota Vikings.

Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams started his college football career with Riley at Oklahoma. When Riley accepted the USC coaching position at the end of the 2021 season, Williams entered the portal and followed him.

In 2022 at USC, Williams threw for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns. He rushed for 382 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. Williams won the 2022 Heisman Trophy and returned to USC for another season.

A year later, he was selected No. 1 overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft. In his second NFL season, Williams led the Bears to an NFC North Division title and had them on the doorstep of making the NFC Championship game.

Jayden Maiava

USC’s quarterback now is Jayden Maiava. Maiava had a good 2025 season and is returning to USC for 2026. Riley’s history with quarterbacks bodes well for Maiava and the possibility of him having a great year.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, and X for the latest news.