ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum did not hold back on Lincoln Riley's job performance at USC football. The Trojans' head coach shocked the nation when he left Oklahoma for Southern California. After a very successful first year with Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, Riley and USC football have struggled since. The Trojans went 6-6 overall and 4-5 in their first year in the Big Ten conference. 2024 was consequently the program's worst year under Riley, sparking many fans to believe he is on the hot seat.
However, Finebaum believes the Trojans should cut their losses immediately. On the Dan Patrick Show, the widely acclaimed pundit unleashed on the third-year head coach.
“Would someone in California explain to me why Lincoln Riley, as of almost noon, is still the Head Coach of Southern Cal? What has he done? He had the one season with Caleb Williams. Last year, I thought that was a disaster, but then again, I forgot about this season.”
USC football needs to show improvement immediately under Riley

There's a $90 million reason the Trojans may not have fired Riley yet. With quarterback Miller Moss testing the waters in the transfer portal, USC football will face some uncertainty at its most important position. Five-star recruit Julian Lewis' recent de-commitment is another potentially devastating blow to this program.
The quarterback position is what Lincoln Riley has made his career off of, mentoring three Heisman trophy winners and number picks in the NFL draft. Another quarterback that Riley coached, who doesn't have any of those accomplishments, could be the best of the bunch in Jalen Hurts. While things look bleak for USC football, there's still room for cautious optimism.
First, five of the Trojans' six losses this year were by a touchdown or less. The 2024 team simply struggled to close games. Even the 49-35 defeat to No. 5 Notre Dame was competitive. If a few of those close losses go Lincoln Riley's way, Paul Finebaum is having a new conversation about the head coach's security. In addition, the Trojans have the 17th-ranked recruiting class for 2025 and the fourth-ranked class for 2026. Lincoln Riley is gradually gaining a foothold with recruiting in this new NIL landscape.
Despite this momentum, the pressure is on USC football to show significant momentum in 2025. While the Big Ten conference is much stronger than the PAC 12, pacific rivals like Oregon are already thriving.
Overall, Lincoln Riley will have to listen to people like Paul Finebaum doubting his ability to rebuild this program until next September. The Trojans will have some extra practices in December before their bowl game. After the postseason, USC football will start its most important offseason in about a decade.