Lincoln Riley considers whether organizational changes are necessary at USC

When Lincoln Riley was speaking at his UCLA postgame press conference, many expected there to be questions about the Pac-12 Championship or maybe even the College Football Playoff. Instead, there are questions about the long-term status of the program after going 7-5. A disappointing season from start to finish in Los Angeles, changes surely are coming for the Trojans.

Riley has already pulled the trigger on one move, firing defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. Having worked together since the 2019 season, the defenses — whether at Oklahoma or USC — never worked out. You cannot put 100% of the blame on Grinch though, with a full evaluation of the program coming.

“We’ve already made one pretty big change,” Riley said. “You go back and look at everything. You do it whether you’re 7-5 or you’re 10-2. You do that all the time. That’s a constant.”

More change will be coming than just the coaching staff. Some key players are expected to leave the program, with quarterback Caleb Williams being the main one. Plenty of key contributors for USC will be moving on in favor of the NFL.

Lincoln Riley believes USC was close at times this season

Five losses is not what anyone expected coming into the season. Expectations were high and to some extent, Riley believes USC was close to achieving them. If just a few plays go in their direction instead of against the Trojans, Riley says they would have been right there.

“Reality is, there are going to be things to fix,” Riley said. “You go and change three plays this year, we’ve probably won three more games. And had we made those plays, the issues that were there had to improve are still going to be there. We’ve got to continue to do a better job of growing in every area.

“We knew this was going to be a climb. We knew that’s what we signed up for and we got to keep climb. Everyone wants the smooth, clean road to the top. That’s for the movies. The road to the top is jagged.”

Sure, the times are tough right now for USC. Riley discussed going back, looking at the mistakes made this season, and considering whether or not changes are needed. Throughout the process, Riley is calling for patience and unity throughout the entire school.

“We got to stay together as a program,” Riley said. “We got to stay together as a fan base. We got to stay together as a university. This is the tough times that you push through for the great things on the other side of it.”