It is no secret that the past few seasons have not gone according to plan for Lincoln Riley and USC. After winning 11 games in Riley’s first season with the Trojans in 2022, USC has gone just 14-11 over the past two campaigns.
Over the past two offseasons, Riley has made several notable personnel changes in attempt to improve his program. A year ago, he overhauled the defense, bringing in a new defensive staff headlined by fast-rising DC D’Anton Lynn. This year, it has been the Trojans’ recruiting operation getting revitalized, with the addition of general manager Chad Bowden and numerous other high-profile staffers.
On a recent episode of his popular show Josh Pate’s College Football Show, national college football analyst evaluated where things stand for Riley and the Trojans.
“[USC has] made some really . . . I won’t say desperate, but I would say some very very needed organization moves lately,” Pate said. “A year ago Lincoln Riley overhauled his defensive staff . . . boom, hit the flush button, immediate dividends paid.
“Several organizational moves, I think reflect, over the past two cycles, that Lincoln Riley, he’s not sitting still. He’s not out there with the mentality that my way’s gonna work, or you know, you fire me—I got a big buyout. That’s not the energy.
“This is still USC . . . the fact that you joined the Big Ten, and you’re not close to the best of the best in that conference right now . . . it should put pressure on you. And it does.
“Don’t forget about the personal side of this. You’ve got a guy in Lincoln Riley who was a winner as soon as he became a head coach. He was a winner. And he’s not one right now on the only board that counts, the scoreboard. But he’s a competitor. And that just eats at you. It eats at you even if no one’s trashing you on a message board. And it eats at you even if no one’s booing you on the way up the tunnel. But they are doing those things.
“But even if they weren’t, the mirror is what you have to answer to. And what’s looking back at Lincoln Riley is not producing good enough results right now. He knows it before anyone tells him.”
For Riley’s sake, he better hope that those changed pay off, and quickly. While his contract and large buyout gives him some level of job security, it is hard to imagine that USC fans will be very happy with a third consecutive season of five or more losses. The 2025 campaign will be a crucial one in determining Riley’s long term future at USC.
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