Could Lincoln Riley be on his way out of Los Angeles?
The embattled USC head coach reportedly has the attention of UCF. With former HC Gus Malzahn leaving to become Florida State’s offensive coordinator, UCF has a vacancy at the head coaching position.
Reported by Bruce Feldman, Ralph Russo, and Antonio Morales of The Athletic, UCF representatives have reached out to Riley’s representation to gauge his possible interest in becoming the program’s next head coach.
There’s no further word on whether Riley has a reciprocal interest in the gig. He’s currently in the midst of his third season with the Trojans. Thus far, his tenure can be categorized as uneven, to put it mildly.
In Year 1, USC went 11-3 with a loss in the Cotton Bowl. Year 2 saw the Trojans go 8-5 with a win in the Holiday Bowl. This year, USC has fallen even further — going 6-6 with a 4-5 conference record.
The depth within the team is not where it should be. This is especially the case along both the offensive and defensive fronts. Recruiting has also been an issue. Despite arguably being the flagship program on the West Coast, Riley has strongly focused his efforts in the South and the Southwest.
To illustrate this point further, for the Signing Day class of 2025, Alabama has more signees from the state of California compared to USC. This is simply unacceptable for a program with SC’s prestige level — not to mention being situated smack dab in the heart of one of the most talent-rich regions in the entire country.
Complicating a possible departure is Riley’s contract. Coaching at a private school, the public isn’t privy to all of the details surrounding his deal. He reportedly makes $10 million a year, which means a sizable buyout could price UCF out of possible bidding. Some figures estimate that the buyout could be roughly $90 million.
The optics surrounding USC possibly losing its head coach to a program of UCF’s caliber would be utterly embarrassing.
