Lincoln Riley dismisses NFL rumors: 'I'm coaching at SC, period'

The past couple of months have been a hiccup for Lincoln Riley. He’s not going anywhere.

In an interview with The Athletic’s Antonio Morales, the USC head coach revealed that he’s not considering a move to the NFL, or any other job in college football for that matter.

“Hell no. No. I’m coaching at SC. Period,” Riley said, per Morales. “I didn’t come here for some short-term thing and as long as SC continues to give us the support and the things we need to continue to build this, this was not a two-year rebuild. No. I’m going to be the coach at SC. Period. End of discussion. I’m so committed to this place because I know what it can be. And if that commitment continues to get matched around us, we’re going to do what we’ve got to do in here and make the adjustments, make the tough decisions, push on the good, own the bad, fix the bad. We’re in it through all the twists and turns and I wanted to make sure people knew that and the more people we have with that same attitude, the faster this thing’s going to get back to normal.”

The Trojans finished 7-5 under Riley in year two of his tenure. The Caleb Williams era might be over — but it seems as if things are just getting started for him and his program as they merge into the Big Ten this offseason.

After an undefeated start to the season, USC’s College Football Playoff hopes crashed and burned over the past month after losing five of its last six regular season games. Compared to year one, which saw an 11-3 finish to the season along with a Cotton Bowl apperance on top of seeing Williams win the Heisman Trophy.

Lincoln Riley considers whether organizational changes are necessary at USC

When USC head coach 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 within 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.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.