College Football Coaches With Most To Prove Next Season: USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley?

The USC Trojans are coming off the most disappointing season in the Lincoln Riley era, finishing 7-6 in Riley's third year. After establishing a brand new front office staff, the Trojans and Riley will have a lot to prove heading into next season.

Oct 8, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks on the field prior to a game against the Washington State Cougars at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After a disappointing 7-6 season that featured a three-game losing skid, the USC Trojans and Lincoln Riley face a make-or-break year heading into the 2025 season.

Riley will have a lot to prove after enduring through back-to-back seasons that failed to live up to high pre-season expectations for the Trojans as they look to get back on track.

Oct 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Ari Wasserman of On3 listed Riley as one of the top ten coaches across the country that have the most to prove next season.

"When Lincoln Riley shocked the world and left Oklahoma in the middle of the night to become USC’s head coach, it felt like an absolute grand slam for the Trojans. Things were good. And though USC almost made the College Football Playoff in year one, Riley’s teams have gotten progressive worse in the two years since," Wasserman said.

Riley and the Trojans will have a lot of self-reflection to do after a 2024 season that got ugly quickly. After a hot start to the season that included a ranked win over LSU in the season opener, USC fell apart, dropping four of their next five games.

USC underwent significant retooling as soon as the offseason hit. Riley and USC athletic director Jen Cohen made the move to hire a new general manager, landing on Notre Dame's Chad Bowden to lead the Trojans' front office.

The Trojans shuffled around their 2025 recruiting class, losing quarterback recruit Julian Lewis and signing five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet instead. USC's coaching staff also picked up a few new faces as Riley continued to infuse the defensive side of the ball with talented coaches.

Riley made a big splash by hiring former NFL defensive coordinator Rob Ryan as the new linebackers coach after Matt Entz's departure to become the head coach at Fresno State.

All these moves made for what is shaping up to be the most important season in Riley's coaching career as he looks to avoid the hot season at USC.

MORE: Reggie Bush Photo Going Viral: USC Trojans 4-Star Running Back Target Deshonne Redeaux

MORE: USC Trojans Schedule Released: Lincoln Riley Consequential Spring Football

MORE: USC Trojans To Land 4-Star Defensive Back Recruit Talanoa Ili Over Oregon Ducks?

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

In order for USC to consider next season a success, it must be a complete 180 degree turn from last year. The Trojans must be able to stay alive in games, especially in the second half.

The Trojans and Riley will rely heavily on their quarterback Jayden Maiava. With a full offseason of first-team reps, Maiava will be prepared to led USC on the field, but can Riley get him to execute and look like an award-winning quarterback is a storyline everyone will be looking at come this fall? Riley wasn't able to get the offense to fully click with former quarterback Miller Moss, which led to a lot of discourse considering Riley had two years of stellar play from Caleb Williams prior to Moss.

If Riley is able to maneuver USC back to glory, this upcoming season would be a perfect place to start as it seems like the Trojans have fully invested into turning the program around.

Recommended Articles

feed