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Lincoln Riley: College football is trending 'heavily' in direction of NFL

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•12/12/24•

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USC HC Lincoln Riley
Gary A. Vasquez | Imagn Images

First, it was the transfer portal and NIL. Now, it’s revenue sharing and conference realignment. The college football landscape keeps changing, and USC head coach Lincoln Riley believes he knows where it’s heading.

“The world understands that in the NFL, sometimes players make decisions to leave. Sometimes, players get cut. Sometimes there’s not cap room,” Riley said. “The world understands that because they’re used to it in the NFL, you know? I think all of us — those in it and those outside — are getting used to this is college football now, and we are trending certainly more in that direction, heavily in that direction.

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“There’s going to be tough decisions on both sides and that’s why you can’t get too emotionally attached to it. They’re going to happen. Teams are going to adjust, players are going to adjust, and everybody’s going to move on. And that’s just the way of the world right now.”

That trend hasn’t been kind to Lincoln Riley since USC’s regular season came to an end. Trojans stars such as quarterback Miller Moss, defensive lineman Bear Alexander and wide receiver Duce Robinson entered the transfer portal in search of greener pastures.

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These aren’t menial losses. Moss was USC’s starter for the majority of the season and is the fourth-best available QB in the portal, according to On3 Industry Ranking. Conversely, Alexander is the fourth highest-ranked defensive lineman in the portal.

Riley will have no shortage of talent to replace on his roster this offseason. After all, USC can’t afford another 6-6 regular season or, worse, another losing record in the Big Ten.

Thankfully for Lincoln Riley, he’d had no issues bringing in top talent via the portal in the past. USC brought in Top-3 transfer classes in the 2022 and 2023 offseasons and reeled in the No. 22 transfer class in 2024.

Evidently, Riley isn’t waiting around to throw out his line. According to WeAreSC, Riley and Co. are hosting at least five high-profile transfers over the next two days, ranging from SEC talent to Group of Five standouts.