USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Reveals Reason Behind New NIL 'Momentum'

Despite the USC Trojans being one of the most well-known names in college football, it didn't help the program's recruiting during the early days of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Prior to USC coach Lincoln Riley's arrival to Los Angeles in 2022, the program was not properly equipped to compete with some of the biggest programs in the sport.

Now, the Trojans sit with the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle, per 247Sports' rankings, thanks to their significant financial investment in the program with key coaching hires and of course, NIL.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Riley spoke with On3 about the Trojans' NIL efforts and what it has taken them to get to the point they are at now.

“We were very behind. There’s no other way to put it. The belief and excitement around this program, for all those who support us, is high right now. The more we’ve built and have had some of the success that we did early, it’s just created belief and momentum. It’s giving validity to what we’re trying to do," Riley said.

Once the Trojans began to pick up a bit of traction, Riley said the program experienced a snowball effect and everything began clicking for a program that was on the verge of obseucrity immediately after the COVID pandemic.

"And then all of a sudden, more people want to support it. More people want to come to work here. More recruits want to come here because they see what’s happening, and they see that USC is really taking this seriously. This is not one of those things where it’s a bunch of hollow promises, and things aren’t being followed through. It’s important to this university right now," Riley said.

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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

After three middling years with the Trojans' fluctuating between being serious contenders in terms of NIL, Riley made the decision to bring aboard Notre Dame's Chad Bowden to become the new general manager for the program. It's safe to say the decision has paid off with the Trojans' recent success on the recruiting front.

With the House v. NCAA settlement approval process delayed, the Trojans are taking full advantage of their NIL funds. USC has been able to land key recruits either through the transfer portal or high school and the uptick in NIL funds has been a major factor.

USC made a big move recently when they picked up a commitment from four-star tight end Mark Bowman. The California native was being recruited by some of the biggest names in college football with deep NIL war chests to back it up like Texas and Georgia, but ultimately elected to stay home and play for the Trojans.

Although the product on the field hasn't exactly been perfect for USC, Riley has improved the Trojans' structure outside of football by leaps and bounds compared to where it was.

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