Lincoln Riley hints at future staff restructuring for USC

Lincoln Riley hinted at some staff restructuring at USC in the near future. Now, does that mean landmark changes?

Not necessarily. However, it does mean that USC is taking advantage of the NCAA’s new rule of an expanded staff. Those analysts can actually coach on game day now.

It’s more internal stuff for Riley, but he seems excited about what’s to come.

“We’ve got a few things internally that we have restructured and are using people in different ways,” Riley said. “And, you know, as those come about, or we get to the right point, we’lll announce those … It’s kind of like, finally. The NCAA has been behind the times so far on that, on that rule. So it’s great that, you know, you now can just use the people on your staff in what you think is the best way. 

“So we do have a lot of people taking more active roles, especially some of the guys that are very experienced … that are really taking active roles on all three sides. We will have a few title changes and some shifts that will happen, some before the season, some after. But yeah, it already feels a lot different in the way that we’re using our staff (and) personnel right now.”

As  Trojans enter Year 3 under Riley with a new quarterback — one who hasn’t won the Heisman — and hopes for an improved defense, the idea is whatever steps to build along the way will start to pay off and USC will rise to true contention.

Because no matter what, the coaches and players are always going to be eager for championship-level success.

“Well, there’s no patience. It’s just an understanding of it is what it is. Our patience is — we want it to happen yesterday,” Riley said. “And that’s been our mentality from the day we walked in here. I mean, despite all the things we knew, gotta build and you guys, probably most of you were there, the day I got hired I stood up there and said ‘Championships are going to be the deal from the beginning.’

“And everybody looked at me like I was crazy and nobody thought it was possible and we put ourselves right there. So yeah, no limitations on what we can do, there’s definitely no patience. There’s an incredible sense of urgency but we also understand that the key is everybody involved, we can’t ever get down when one thing doesn’t go perfect.”