Lincoln Riley responds to coaching rumors: 'I'm a USC Trojan'
USC head coach Lincoln Riley has had his name come up in connection to a couple of vacant head coaching jobs, including once this morning when The Athletic reported UCF had reached out to Riley.
During his National Signing Day press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Riley was asked about those reports and his response if and when other programs reach out.
“I tell them I’m a USC Trojan,” Riley said through a laugh. “I’m at the place I want to be. It’s a non-starter, it’s a non-issue. I’m home.”
Riley’s performance has come under scrutiny as the USC Trojans went 11-3 in his first year with the program, reaching the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Trojans then went 8-5 last season as Riley made the late-season decision to fire defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. This year, USC finished 6-6 as Riley’s offense struggled to score points without Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams and in the Trojans’ first year in the Big Ten conference.
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Riley was speaking during a signing day press conference as his program sits at No. 14 nationally in the 2025 On3 Industry Class Rankings. This is a huge offseason for the Trojans as they will lose key, veteran contributors on both sides of the ball. USC also needs to find a replacement for linebackers coach Matt Entz, who was hired as the head coach at Fresno State.
USC’s schedule next season includes road trips to Oregon, Notre Dame, Illinois and Nebraska, plus home games against Iowa and Michigan.
