Lincoln Riley sends message to Oklahoma fans upset about his departure to USC

The departure of Lincoln Riley left many in Oklahoma shocked and upset at the sudden nature of his announcement. Riley addressed those upset fans on the Rich Eisen Show.

“I hope time will heal that,” Riley told Eisen. “I understand they’re disappointed that we left, I do, and I have a lot of love for that place. Me and my family poured our heart and soul into that place for seven years and loved every second of it.

“These things, when you leave a university, they either fire you or you leave on your own accord and neither one of them is easy,” Riley continued. “Our love for that place will never go away and we hope as time goes on that our time there will be remembered fondly and everybody remembers the great success we had together.”

In Lincoln Riley’s time at OU from 2017-2021, the program went 55-10 and 1-3 in bowl games. As successful as Riley was with the Sooners, there are those in the state that want to commemorate his betrayal for the long-haul.

Oklahoma senator proposes Riley highway signs

Oklahoma Sen. Bill Coleman proposed a bill to sarcastically honor Riley. The bill suggested that the last three inches of State Highway 325 become the “Lincoln Riley Highway.”

The three-inch stretch would be the final piece of road that drivers would travel on as they leave Oklahoma to the west via the panhandle.

“I felt the State of Oklahoma needed an appropriate goodbye to this former head coach whose sudden departure left many in shock, including a team of young, dedicated college players. I found the tiniest section of our most desolate of highways to pay tribute to Coach Riley’s exit from Oklahoma football and the state,” Coleman said in a press release Tuesday.

“This is only fitting as this is the last three inches one sees before leaving our great state heading west.”

The bill will be a part of Oklahoma’s February legislative session and could become law at that time.

Lincoln Riley on Brent Venables

In an appearance on the Jim Rome Show, USC head coach Lincoln Riley commented on how he felt seeing Brent Venables as the new head of Oklahoma football.

“I think it’s awesome,” Riley answered about how he felt seeing Brent Venables take Oklahoma’s coaching job. “I’ve known Brent for a long time, he’s a good friend. To see him get that opportunity, I know he’s been waiting for the right opportunity for a long time.

“I know he’ll do a great job. We got a chance to visit a little bit, which was great, before he accepted the job. I’m really happy for him and his family. I know him well and he’ll do a great job there. They couldn’t have found a better choice.”

Oklahoma didn’t waste much time in finding a replacement for Riley. In just a week after the shocking departure, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione hired Venables away from Clemson.

Venables is another product of the Bob Stoops coaching tree, much like Riley was before him. Both coaches served as coordinators under Stoops.

On3’s Austin Brezina contributed to this report.