How USC Coach Lincoln Riley is Preparing Trojans for Breakthrough

The No. 25 USC Trojans are 3-0, but coach Lincoln Riley isn’t just coaching games at USC—he’s rebuilding the foundation.

After back-to-back seasons defined by defensive struggles and unmet expectations, Riley has spent 2025 reshaping the Trojans from the inside out. The changes are less about flashy headlines and more about rewiring the program’s DNA.

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley college football analyst J.D Pickell On3 Big Ten football college football playoff NCAA — Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

A New Blueprint for USC

On his show The Hard Count, On3’s J.D. Pickell put it plainly: the staff moves aren’t random adjustments, they’re part of a larger reset.

"From what I can gather with the staff moves they've made, they're going through a process of rewiring slash redeveloping their messaging internally," Pickell said. "I don't think you go get a new strength coach if you like your wiring. I don't think you go get a new GM in Chad Bowden if you like your wiring. Got a new DC a year ago. You've seen some dividends there."

Why the Staff Overhaul Matters

The most significant move came when USC hired Chad Bowden away from Notre Dame as the program's general manager.

Bowden wasted no time, pulling in top evaluators such as Dre Brown from Illinois and Max Steinecker from Wisconsin, restructuring the personnel department, and emphasizing a more aggressive recruiting strategy.

Roster development: Bowden’s role ensures USC has a long-term plan for building depth, not just chasing splash signings.

Southern California recruiting: Early reports highlight a renewed emphasis on locking down local talent that had slipped away in recent years.

Staff coordination: Bowden acts as the connective tissue between Riley’s coaching staff and USC’s expanding off-field infrastructure.

On the field, Riley also installed a new defensive coordinator prior to 2024, a move already paying dividends with improved disruption metrics.

The strength and conditioning program was revamped as well, signaling a commitment to reshaping the team physically for the grind of Big Ten play.

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Lessons from Elsewhere

Pickell compared USC’s internal reset to other programs that successfully navigated cultural turbulence.

He pointed to Steve Sarkisian at Texas, who needed time to cut through the noise in Austin before the Longhorns finally surged back into national contention.

Similarly, current Las Vegas Raiders' head coach Pete Carroll’s early days at USC showed how one voice—clear and consistent—could align a fractured program.

For Riley, the challenge is even steeper in the social media era.

Players aren’t just balancing the locker room with the media—they’re balancing it with Twitter, Instagram, and nonstop commentary from fans and analysts.

Rewiring the program is as much about message control as it is about personnel.

The Bigger Picture in the Big Ten

USC’s moves are designed for survival in the Big Ten. Depth, toughness, and defensive consistency matter more than highlight reels.

After years of being labeled “soft” compared to their Midwest counterparts, the Trojans are making structural adjustments to flip that perception.

Pickell believes this deliberate reset is what gives Riley the best chance to succeed long term:

"It's very difficult to rewire your football team with massive amounts of noise," Pickell said. "If you're a head coach, at a certain point it cuts into your messaging. So, for USC, the lack of noise allows them to finally reset and put in the wiring they need."

Rewiring Takes Time—But It’s Necessary

USC’s early 2025 success—an undefeated start and a return to the Top 25—has sparked optimism, but the real story isn’t in the wins. It’s in the blueprint.

Riley has chosen patience over flash, structure over slogans, and culture over quick fixes. That may not generate instant headlines, but if the Trojans want to contend for Big Ten titles and national relevance, the rewiring project is the only path forward.

And for the first time in years, it looks like the wiring is finally being done right.