J. Brady McCollough, Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — One of the top coaches in college football is on his way to L.A.
USC is closing its three-month search for a new head football coach with a bombshell hire, landing Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley to turn around the Trojans program.
USC fans have been waiting for years for the school to bring in a coach that can restore its treasured football program to glory. In Riley, it now has a coveted coach considered among the most innovative minds in football, one who has already proven capable of leading a prestigious program to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
USC officially announced the hire at about 5 p.m. Sunday.
The question lingered for three months: Would USC athletic director Mike Bohn take advantage of the long runway he gained by firing Clay Helton Sept. 13 and land a coach that could quickly rally the Trojan legions?
Even as other major jobs came open at Louisiana State and Florida and schools scrambled to hand out big-money extensions to keep coaches in place, Bohn has provided a resounding answer by luring Riley to Los Angeles.
“We are ecstatic to announce Lincoln Riley as our new head coach and welcome his wife, Caitlin, and their daughters, Sloan and Stella, to the Trojan Family,” Bohn said in a news release. “Lincoln is the rarest combination of an extraordinary person and elite football coach. His successes and offensive accolades as a head coach the past five years are astonishing. Lincoln will recruit relentlessly, develop his players on and off the field, and implement a strong culture in which the program will operate with the highest level of integrity and professionalism.”
Riley will immediately take over running the USC football program, with Bob Stoops to coach the Sooners in their bowl game. Donte Williams will remain the Trojans’ interim head coach for Saturday’s game at California.
“He is known for caring about the development and character of his players and winning at the highest level,” USC President Carol Folt said in a news release. “Mike Bohn and I share a vision for the future of USC athletics and hiring Coach Riley is a huge statement about where we are going as a program.”
Riley highlighted the opportunities that lie ahead for him leading the USC program.
“USC has an unparalleled football tradition with tremendous resources and facilities, and the administration has made a deep commitment to winning. I look forward to honoring that successful tradition and building on it,” Riley said in a news release. “The pieces are in place for us to build the program back to where it should be and the fans expect it to be. We will work hard to develop a physical football team that is dominant on both lines of scrimmage, and has a dynamic balanced offense and a stout aggressive defense.
“I want to thank the administration, coaches and players at Oklahoma for five incredible years as their head coach. We accomplished some great things there and I will always cherish my time as a Sooner.”
Of the other coaches linked to USC’s search, from Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell to Baylor’s Dave Aranda to Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, none boasts a resume quite like Riley, who led Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff in each of his first three seasons as coach. He hasn’t looked back since, winning 55 games and four consecutive Big 12 championships as the Sooners coach, while finishing no lower than seventh in the polls in any of his five seasons.
That reputation should serve him well in Southern California, where the landscape is replete with top quarterback recruits, several of whom Riley previously plucked out from under USC.
His instant success, virtually unmatched in college football, made Riley one of the most coveted coaches not just in the college ranks, but the NFL as well. Though, while his name was floated for years at the top of hot boards and coaching candidate lists, Riley stood pat with the Sooners.
It seemed that would be the case again this season after Riley denied Saturday night in the wake of Oklahoma’s season-ending defeat that he would leave Oklahoma for LSU.
The Trojans have not appeared in a College Football Playoff in its eight years of existence and have won just one Pac-12 title since 2008 when the Pete Carroll era was still going strong.
It used to be a guarantee that USC, with its abundant riches to pick from across the Southland, would compile a top-five recruiting class. But it has not done so since 2018, the most glaring sign that the program had lost prestige under Helton.
Riley is the first hire that USC has made since Carroll who is nationally relevant on his own merit. Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian were Carroll proteges who were brought back to keep the good times rolling after the NCAA handed the program massive sanctions in 2010 because of the Reggie Bush scandal. Helton, hired as an assistant by Kiffin, had never been a head coach when he was promoted to the permanent role by then-athletic director Pat Haden in 2015.
Bohn, after deciding to keep Helton in place after the 2019 and 2020 seasons, fired Helton after USC was beaten soundly by Stanford 42-28 at the Coliseum in the second game of the year. His final record with the Trojans was 46-24.
Helton has since been hired to lead Georgia Southern, while USC leaders patiently waited for their chance to land Riley.
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Just like Bob Stoops, most thought Lincoln Riley would be a lifer at Oklahoma until he was offered a pro HC job. But Mike Bohn evidently saw or heard Lincoln was not necessarily glued to the sooner program. Fortunately the USC brand was still attractive enough, after years of ignorance by the administration, to lure a top level HC. And it is obvious Riley did not come here very cheaply. We probably won’t know what his price tag was, as private Universities can keep their deals private. I can’t express my relief and excitement, after years of extreme disappointment, on… Read more »
USC opened up the purse strings on this one. Such a huge deal!
So if USC can score 100 points a game, do they really need a tough defense? Just kidding. The USC defense showed me they can play football, as they did against BYU. Now, coach them up, bring in Ricks from LSU, some other LB talent, kick Foreman in the butt, and find the Jackson replacement. Maybe he comes back?
If Drake Jackson comes back, I sure hope he brings a higher-level game than we’ve seen so far. Regardless of how he’s being used, he could be a lot more productive. As of now, I just don’t see him successful in the NFL. Oh, he could probably make a roster. But nothing special. Dude needs work!
This hire greatly exceeded my expectations. I had my top 3 like everyone else. Riley never crossed my mind as even a possibility. Had his name been in the mix, he would have been my #1 choice. Closer to “world class” than any of the others.
My only two concerns are his defense history (fixable with a good DC), and his next step is the NFL, but I will just enjoy the seasons until that happens, hopefully at least a few national championships from now.
Welcome to Trojan Nation, Mr. Riley. Fight On!
“IT’S A CHRISTMAS MIRICLE”- Will Ferrell
I went to sleep after the game last night hopeful
that Campbell was indeed going to take the USC HC job.
Instead, a Christmas/Hanukkah miracle!
Please when I wake tomorrow I wasn’t just dreaming
Lincoln Riley is the Head coach of USC.
This is a freakin’ miracle! It all came together VERY fast. John knows more about this than I do. Campbell unexpectedly pulled out last night and within 12-14 hours or so, USC had a framework deal in place with none other than Lincoln Riley who suddenly and out-of-the-blue jumped into the void based on USC’s sudden re-contact, declining to over-negotiate with OU. Bohn and his staff (as well as Carol Folt) deserve enormous credit for their adaptability, resilience, and quick thinking in the face of disappointment and turmoil. As a result, Lincoln Riley, better than any CFB coach I could… Read more »
“Go west young man”… Amazing… a Hollywood ending
The details will be fascinating
Huge credit to Lincoln Riley for seeing the opportunity
of a coaching lifetime. Where else in the college football
world would an opportunity open like this for a young brilliant
coaching mind like Lincoln’s? Not the SEC. Nowhere but USC
He sees the whole field of his profession and he’s out to master it.
Malachi Nelson – 5 Star qb
“I think Lincoln is the best QB coach and offensive coach around and he’s the best guy to prepare anyone for the NFL. That’s always been my goal and still is. I know I have some other good options out there still but USC is a good fit, it’s close to home and with Lincoln there, you could say it’s kind of the best of both worlds for me.”
Just read LR is getting staff together quickly and will host recruits this weekend on campus while USC is playing at Cal. So strange, but glad he’s getting right to work.
Bohn is now my favorite AD. Give him a raise. It is still ok to fire Folt.
ESPN just announced that Alex Grinch, current OK DC is coming with Riley to be our new DC
I hope the O Line coach comes also
Yes, he’s as good as it gets. Would be massive for recruiting and development. We are going to need to hit transfer portal pretty hard to get our OLine working. Or we are going to start really young guys next year.
This new form of “coaching dominoes” is something I’ve already gotten very used to.
Exactly, the ripple affect is going to be fun to watch from the sidelines, now that we have our guy. The other big name schools like LSU, Oklahoma, (if it’s not Stoops), Washington, etc, are really going to aggressively ramp up their pursuits and offers in the coming days. Then the schools they raid from, will be doing the same. I heard good things about Florida’s new guy, Napier. Think also, of all the assistants that are suddenly scrambling to find other jobs. Does Ed O get another head coaching job right away? Have the contract terms been announced yet… Read more »
For some reason USC doesn’t have to announce terms. They usually leak out after a while though.
Domino speculation already in play. Yahoo is reporting that Tennessee fans already worried that they will lose Josh Heupel to Oklahoma, and how it would be the second time in recent years that they could lose a first year coach due to a USC hire. Fun stuff
I’d be worried were I a Vol fan too. But Heupel might not be ready for the Sooners. He finished at 7-5 with TENN this season.
The Coaching Carousel is a bizarre landscape and today was a classic example of just how crazy and surprising it can be.
I’d be worried if I were a mattress too. 😅
Heupel has shown just how quickly a culture can be changed. Most of my relatives are either Vol or Gator fans, so I stay fairly well plugged in to the SEC. This year’s Trojans and last year’s Vols are about the same team. They got obliterated by the transfer portal last year, something like 30 players lost. They are nowhere near a full roster.
But Heupel has energized the fan base, as I’m sure Riley will.
The poor Vols. They just ain’t what they used to be and haven’t been able to come close to recapturing their old glory because they haven’t been able to find a decent coach since Phil Fulmer in the late ’90s.
For now, Josh Heupel is like a little baby coach compared to a guy like Lincoln Riley. Good luck keeping him Vols.
Agree on both points. Also much tougher job there due recruiting field and competition of teams.
Riley to USC will directly impact UT’s recruiting as their offenses appeal to the same type of players.
UT can continue to take USC cast-offs I guess, like Velus Jones and Chase McGrath.
How are Jones and McGrath doing? I always liked McGrath.
Both have done really well. Jones is #2 WR and has had some huge games. Also returns kicks.
The Caleb Williams vs Jaxson Dart QB battle next spring and fall will be epic.
Hearing/reading that our recruiting situation is allready getting affected (in a positive way) even over the next 72 hours or so ……..Hope so ………Fight On !!!!!
There will be players who where wearing Oklahoma Uniforms in 2021 wearing USC uniforms in 2022.
Not me Allen!!!! This guy knows how to recruit California well. It’s now time to take back what is rightfully ours!!! It’s a GREAT day to be a Trojan. I now have the spirit to FIGHT ON again.
Sorry that you lost Brian Kelly today to LSU @misterusc.
That totally caught me off guard, almost as much as Lincoln Riley to USC did!
Will Fickell now be the next ND coach?
I say yes.
They just have to work out the details about how to end the season. USC got lucky. Riley agreed to join USC right this moment because his semi-mentor Bob Stoops stepped in as the interim.
Campbell still looking for a chair to sit down. He will probably be
on ND short list.. Are we done with the out of no where changes?
I don’t think so… We got the ‘Life of Riley’ everything else is spectator now.
USC/Riley still needs to reel in the important OU OL coach, Bill Bedenbaugh. I’m not sure he’s coming to USC based on varying, conflicting reports.
With all the celebration and chatter missed that
it wasn’t done. Was he on the plane with the other coaches
who came here?
No.
B. BedenBaugh OU salary listed as 810K
2nd to DC
“I put this in another thread, but I was told from a reliable source today that while OL coach Bill Bedenbaugh was not on the plane with the crew this morning, he is coming.” 2hrs ago -247
That would be great if it’s true, which I think we all assume is the case.
Trojan fans have been subjected to such poor OL play during The Cat’s entire flaky regime that we are absolutely desperate for the renowned Bedenbaugh to make his way to the McKay Canter.
Thanks for the input @Petero. May Bedenbaugh revive the Trojan OL tradition that most of us grew up respecting and our opponents usually couldn’t match up well with.
Though is he will be OC for their bowl game. I respect the integrity.. Not pulling an Irish here
Stewart Mandel (The Athletic) @slmandel:
“Still sitting here in borderline shock that something good happened to USC football.”
If this hire holds, I owe Mike Bohn an apology. Luckily I don’t know him so he’s probably still okay with my silly musings.
Who is unhappy with the Lincoln Riley hire and thinks USC failed to land a better choice?
Who would you have preferred, assuming he was even willing to give USC the time of day?
I have some, complaining about his D. My Lord, the guy has made it to the CFP three of the last 5 years and has coached two Heisman winners as well as three starting NFL QBs. Some folks are truly unrealistic. What a great job by Bohn.
Oops. Should have read, I have none but I have read some…
The QB Whisperer! I’ll take one of those. Lucky Jaxson Dart.
If Caleb Williams transfers, very good chance Dart won’t play or be here.
That doesn’t worry me in the least.
Me either, one great QB or another.
This is the single most amazing day for SC football since Sam won the Rose Bowl. I gladly eat crow on my earlier comments. Crow never tasted so good. Just like I enjoyed losing my wager on last night’s game. I had no idea how important OK State beating OU was for SC. It gave Riley an extra week to recruit. My guess is SC has a top 10 class after early signing. Thank you Stanford for routing SC. Best loss in SC history.
I’ll always be indebted to David Shaw! Thank you, David, Baby!!!. Your problem is that you went 3-9 this season and your STAN HCing stock has dropped faster and farther than some of my stocks did in 2001.