Why USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Has Most to Prove In 2025 Among Head Football Coaches

The USC Trojans rocked the college football world when they hired Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma in November 2021. So far, the Trojans have not seen a return on their investment. Will Riley be able to turn things around in 2025?

Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans rocked the college football world in November 2021 when they pulled Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma with a lucrative 10-year contract to become the program’s next head coach. 

Riley had been connected to LSU after the Tigers fired Ed Orgeron just two years after winning a national championship. However, following a loss to Oklahoma State in the regular season finale, Riley shutdown those rumors, only to take the job at USC the next day. 

Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

USC found immediate success in 2022 under Riley going from 4-8 to 11-3 in his first season and put themselves back in the national spotlight. In many ways the Trojans were able to replicate Riley’s Oklahoma teams, an explosive offense with a superstar Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback in Caleb Williams. But that also meant bringing defensive struggles that kept Oklahoma from reaching its full potential. 

An abysmal defensive performance against Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game kept the Trojans out of the College Football Playoff. In the Cotton Bowl, USC blew a two-touchdown lead over Tulane at three different points in the game, including one with less than five minutes left in regulation. A promising season ended with two disappointing losses. 

The Trojans' defensive struggles carried over into the 2023 season and a 7-5 finish in the regular season, it was the worst in Riley’s career as a head coach. USC was able to end the season a high note by defeating Louisville in the Holiday Bowl. They ranked 115th nationally in points allowed, 124th in average yards per play and 129th in percentage of opponent drives resulting in touchdowns in Riley’s first two seasons.

Riley made drastic changes by pulling defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn away from crosstown rival UCLA. Despite battling injuries all season, the Trojans improved drastically on defense but ran into another problem that defined the program in 2024, an inability to close games in the fourth quarter. USC held a lead in the fourth quarter in each of their first 11 games of the season. They allowed a game-winning score to Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State and Maryland in the final minute of regulation or overtime. 

Against Washington, USC failed to score inside the 5-yard line late in the fourth quarter and lost by five. The Trojans finished the regular season 6-6, marking the second year in a row USC saw a decrease in the win column. A last-second win over Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl helped the Trojans finish above .500. 

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Riley never lost more than two games during his five-year run at Oklahoma and reached the CFP three times. The 41-year-old coach hasn’t been able to replicate his success in Norman here in Los Angeles. Riley is in the most crucial point in his coaching career, something he is not taking lightly.

Riley and the USC administration has made it a point of emphasis to upgrade every aspect of the program to compete with the best in the country. 

Chad Bowden comes over from Notre Dame to become the Trojans new general manager. Having Bowden in the building has helped USC in recruiting exponentially. The Trojans currently hold 11 commitments in their 2026 recruiting class, including five that are inside the On3 Industry’s Top 100. They hold the No. 1 recruiting class according to 247Sports and Rivals and trail Oregon by three tenths of a point for the top-ranked spot in the On3 Industry Rankings. 

Oct 19, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks onto the field during the second half Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

With college football constantly changing USC has assembled a “dream team” for their front office with Bowden leading the charge. Riley hired Chad Savage from Colorado to be the tight ends/inside receivers coach and Trovon Reed from UCF to be the cornerbacks. In addition to being great coaches on the field, both have reputations of being elite recruiters. Rob Ryan brings a wealth of NFL knowledge as the new linebackers coach. 

USC broke ground in November on the Bloom Football Performance Center that is scheduled to open in the summer of 2026. The $200 million dollar investment will put the Trojans in the conversation for having one of the best facilities in college football.

Still, with all the drastic changes and the program trending upwards in recruiting, results still need to be seen on the field. Notable games on their 2025 schedule include, at Illinois on Sep. 27, at home against Michigan on Oct. 11, at Notre Dame on Oct. 18, at Nebraska on Nov. 1 and at Oregon on Nov. 22. 

In year four, all of the players on the roster are guys that Riley brought into the program. They have the right defensive staff in place with Lynn leading the way. It's a fan base starving to return to its glory days.

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