USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley Earns Shockingly Low Grade After Three Seasons

The USC Trojans shocked the world when they hired Lincoln Riley away from the Oklahoma Sooners in November 2021. After three seasons, how does Riley compare to other coaches like Notre Dame Fighting Irish's Marcus Freeman or Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning?

Nov 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the first quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Following the end of the 2021 college football season, several high-profile programs were searching for new head coaches, including the USC Trojans, that would end up shaping the sport over the next few seasons. Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU, and the Irish promoted defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to head coach. Mario Cristobal left Oregon for his alma mater, Miami, and the Ducks hired Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning. 

Sonny Dykes took over at TCU, Billy Napier made the jump from the group of five level to Florida and Kalen DeBoer did the same going from Fresno State to Washington but left for Alabama at the end of the 2023 season to takeover for Nick Saban. 

USC had fired Clay Helton two games into the 2021 season and after an extensive search and in a stocking move, hired Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma with a lucrative 10-year, $110 million dollar deal in November 2021. Riley had been connected to LSU but denied those reports, only to end up taking the job at USC. Longtime Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables became the new coach in Norman. Three years later and CBS Sports handed out grades to each of the coaches hired during the wild carousel. Riley was given a C+. 

Nov 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the first quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Riley quickly brought USC back to national prominence in his first season, taking the Trojans from 4-8 to 11-3. Quarterback Caleb Williams became the program’s eighth Heisman Trophy winner, the Trojans made it to the Pac-12 Championship Game, and they earned a New Year’s Bowl bid. Despite the drastic turnaround that saw USC reach as high as No. 4 in the rankings, it was a season of what could have been. 

In mid-October, the Trojans held a 14-point lead over Utah on the road at two different points in the game, but the Utes kept battling back. Cam Rising's 1-yard touchdown run and the 2-point conversion with less than a minute remaining in regulation gave Utah a 43-42 victory. The two programs squared off again in the Pac-12 Championship Game, with USC in a win-and-in scenario to earn their first trip to the College Football Playoff. And once again the Trojans jumped out to a two-touchdown lead in the second quarter. 

However, Williams suffered a hamstring injury that severely hampered the Trojans and Utah went on a 44-7 run to rout USC at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The Trojans still earned a trip to the Cotton Bowl to face Tulane, a group of five school on New Year’s Day 2023. This time USC held a two-touchdown lead at three different points in the game, including a 15-lead with under five minutes remaining. Two quick scores and a safety in the final minutes gave Tulane a 46-45 win. A shocking end to a season that was filled with a ton of potential.

The Trojans entered the 2023 season with high expectations with Williams returning for his junior season. USC jumped out to a 6-0 record, thanks to an offensive juggernaut that scored at least 42 points in each of those six games. However,it all came to a screeching halt when the Trojans traveled to South Bend and ran into a buzz saw against rival Notre Dame. Williams three interceptions and the Trojans fell 48-20. 

The loss started a downward spiral, USC preceded to lose five of its final second regular season games and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was fired in early November as the defense ranked at the bottom of every major statistical category. USC was able to defeat the Louisville in the Holiday Bowl to finish the season 8-5. 

The 2024 season marked the first season as members of the Big Ten conference. They opened the season in Las Vegas by defeating then No. 13 LSU 27-20 in the final seconds of regulation. The following week, the Trojans routed Utah State 48-0 for the programs first shutout win since 2011. It appeared USC could be sneaky contenders in the Big Ten and for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. 

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Following a bye, the Trojans traveled to Ann Arbor to face the defending national champions Michigan. USC overcame their first half struggles to take a lead the lead late in the fourth quarter. However, after some questionable play-calling and clock management from Riley, Michigan got the ball back and engineered a game-winning drive. It was a theme that would haunt the Trojans season

Minnesota, Penn State and Maryland all had a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation or overtime. A one-score loss to Washington in early November dropped USC to a 4-5 record, despite having a lead in the fourth quarter in all nine games. They had five losses by a combined 19 points and their inability to close out games under Riley was a massive problem with the program. 

Riley turned to UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava to replace Miller Moss at quarterback. Maiava went 3-1 as a starter, including wins over crosstown rival UCLA and Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Trojans finished the season on a high note, but their 7-6 finish marked the second consecutive season their record regressed.

Riley enters a pressured packed fourth season in Los Angeles, and the USC coach has made it a point of emphasis to upgrade every aspect of the program, starting with personnel. College football has changed over the past few years with NIL and the transfer portal, making the need for an NFL-style front office vital for success of recruiting and roster management. 

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley holds the championship trophy after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Chad Bowden comes over from Notre Dame to become the general manager. He brought Zaire Turner with him over from Notre Dame, who will take on the role of assistant athletic director of recruiting operations, as well as Dre Brown left his alma mater Illinois to become the Trojans' executive director of scouting and personnel. 

Former Wisconsin general manager Max Stienecker will have the title of executive director of player personnel at USC under Bowden. 

"I don't say this lightly,” Riley said. “I think it's going to be the best personnel, off-the-field staff in the country. That was the goal to build that in the beginning."

The Trojans made a few changes to the coaching staff as well. Quarterbacks coach Luke Huard adds the title of offensive coordinator, but Riley will continue calling plays. Zach Hanson moves from tight ends coach to offensive line coach. Chad Savage comes over from Colorado State to become the tight ends/inside receivers coach. 

Rob Ryan takes over for Matt Entz as the linebackers coach, who left to become the head coach at Fresno State. Trovon Reed comes over from UCF to work under Doug Belk as the cornerbacks coach. 

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