On Friday night, USC hosted Northwestern in a key Big Ten clash. Leading into the game, rumors were surrounding the Trojans’ Lincoln Riley and potential openings.
College football insider Josh Pate said on an appearance on ‘Bussin’ With The Boys’ podcast and threw out Riley’s name when they were discussing SEC openings.
“Can we end on this?” asked Pate. “Let’s just keep an eye on Lincoln Riley at USC.”
That was really the first time that Riley’s name had been brought up when it came to any openings. After USC rolled to a 38-17 victory over the Wildcats, Riley addressed the rumor.
Lincoln Riley Shoots Down Coaching Rumor
After USC’s seventh victory of the season against two losses on Friday night, Riley attempted to put an end to any rumors that might be out there.
“You guys know what I sacrificed to be here,” said Riley. “I’m where I need to be.”
He might be where he needs to be, but it has not been smooth sailing in Los Angeles. He was 55-10 in five years at the helm of Oklahoma before bolting for USC. Since arriving in Southern California, he is just 33-16 after the win over Northwestern.
It was surprising to see Riley bolt Norman, but in the overall big picture, was it that surprising? The 42-year-old may have denied wanting to leave, but you have to think that money in the SEC talks, and he would be open to listening.
Urban Meyer Gives His Opinion on Lincoln Riley Bolting USC
That’s one of the places I don’t understand, Colin. That’s got everything,” Meyer said. “There’s some places that are hard. I don’t think USC’s hard. My entire career, I recruited out in California. It all comes down to recruiting base, tradition, and you have everything.
“I understand you have plenty of resources in the NIL, and they’ve got an excellent coach in Lincoln Riley. I expect Lincoln Riley, when you see the recruiting rankings, what they’ve done recently, I see him not going anywhere, and they’re going to have a nice run here coming up in the next couple of years. …I refuse to believe that, Colin. I really do. I think he stays, and I think they go on a great run.”
Anything is possible, and Riley could go on a great run, but it has not happened yet. He has not been able to use the resources available to him already. He might have a lot of resources available at USC, but he could just as many, if not more, at LSU, Florida, or even Auburn. What about Penn State?
During his time at Oklahoma, he recruited well in SEC territory while the Sooners were in the Big 12. He would return to the area and once again hit the ground running, recruiting in that area. A coach making the statement is not uncommon, nor is a coach changing their mind and leaving. We’ll see what happens with Riley over the next couple of months.
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