Lincoln Riley on rumors linking him to UCF, other jobs: 'I'm at the place I want to be'

Following a report from The Athletic on Wednesday afternoon that UCF is swinging for the fences and has inquired about USC coach Lincoln Riley for its open head coaching position, the head man himself has slammed the door shut on such talk.

Riley commented on Early Signing Day when asked about being linked to other jobs.

“I tell them I’m a USC Trojan,” Riley said. “I’m at the place I want to be. It’s a non-starter, it’s a non-issue. That’s — I’m home.”

Reports of UCF’s interest in Riley first surfaced on Wednesday in a report from The Athletic. Bruce Feldman, Antonio Morales and Ralph Russo all reported for the outlet that UCF is interested in the USC head coach. Former head coach Gus Malzahn recently left his post as head coach to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State.

“Representatives from UCF reached out to Riley’s representatives last weekend to inquire about his interest in making a move across the country, one source said,” the report read. “Any discussions about adjusting the terms of Riley’s contract would be between him and USC, sources said.”

According to the report, Lincoln Riley’s contract is estimated at $10 million a year and is three years into a 10-year deal. USC is a private institution and the contract details are not publicly available.

For Riley to leave USC, it would cost the hiring school, in this case UCF, tens of millions for the Trojans or the other school to pay out.

“The first source added that UCF has not received any word from Riley’s camp that he is interested in leaving USC, and the school is still looking at multiple candidates to fill its head coaching vacancy,” the report said. “Firing Riley, whose win total with the Trojans has decreased in each of his three seasons, would cost USC about $90 million, according to one of the sources. If Riley were to leave for another school, he would owe USC nothing. But UCF is not in position to replicate the deal Riley has at USC. Malzahn made $4 million in 2024 at UCF.”

Regardless of the speculation, it all appears for naught now. Lincoln Riley has stated in no uncertain terms that he’s happy at USC.

On3’s Nick Kosko also contributed to this report.