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Lincoln Riley had a great thing going at Oklahoma not too long ago, and he made the shocking decision to leave the Sooners for the USC football team. He took the Trojans to the Pac-12 title game in his first season, but the last two years have not been good. Riley and USC have been trending in the wrong direction as they finished 6-6 in the regular season last year, and now, the pressure is on. Riley needs to deliver this year, or his job will be in jeopardy.
ESPN's Paul Finebaum was asked which college football head coach is under the most pressure in 2025, and he had an answer ready with no hesitation. His answer was Lincoln Riley, and he has a point.
“Lincoln Riley,” Finebaum said during an episode of Get Up on Thursday. “And you asked the question, why? Because he has simply underperformed. He had a pretty decent first year, but since then, it has been very rocky. And quite frankly, I think he would already be gone if it wasn’t for about an $80 million buyout. Even for Southern Cal, that might be too much money.”
Riley hasn't been close to meeting expectations at USC. The expectation was for him to get this team into the College Football Playoff when there were only four teams. He couldn't do that, but then the CFP expanded to 12. The door was wide open. What did the Trojans do? They went 6-6.
Some good news for USC football fans is that Riley is recruiting at a ridiculous level this year. The Trojans have the best 2026 recruiting class in the country, and there is going to be a lot of talent coming to LA. The question is, can Riley develop these players and turn his star-studded roster into a legit contender? Recruiting well is great, but it means nothing if you go 6-6.
This is a pivotal season for Lincoln Riley and the USC football team. The Trojans need to put together a good year, and Paul Finebaum is 100% right. The pressure is on.
