LOS ANGELES — Amid uncertainty over his future at Southern California, coach Lincoln Riley reiterated his stance of wanting to remain in charge of the Trojans.
USC is coming off a disappointing 24-7 loss to Wisconsin, the fewest amount of points a Riley-led team has ever scored. At 6-2, the lofty goals of reaching the College Football Playoff are fading and raising raising the question of if Riley’s time is nearing an end
.USA TODAY Sports reported on Tuesday, Oct. 27 Riley and USC are in an “unhappy marriage,” as “both sides know” it’s not a good fit, according to people with direct insight into the Trojans.
“I love it here,” Riley told reporters Tuesday evening. “There's not many people in college football history that gave up what I gave up to come
here. Don't care if it's 15 years down the line, like that never should be taken lightly. It's certainly not taken lightly by me. So I came here because this is where I wanted to be. I came here because I believe in this place, and none of that has changed whatsoever.”
As more questions were asked about his future and current state of USC, Riley admitted he understands them and spoke at length about the high standards he’s dealt with ever since he coached at Oklahoma, recounting how people were “ willing to run me out of town” after his first loss, and that comes with the territory of being at a blue blood program.
“If I didn't want to be at this place, I wouldn't have come here in the first place. If I didn't want to be at this place, I've had plenty of opportunities to leave. This is where I want to be. This is the right place for me,” he said. “I'm the right person to be here, and that's as honest and transparent as I can be with you guys.”
There’s also the aspect of if USC’s leadership is aligned with Riley. USC dismissed Mike Bohn, the athletic director who hired Riley, in May 2023 with Jennifer Cohen now in the role after leaving from Washington. That gives an interesting stipulation in Riley’s contract, which says his buyout to leave USC would be waived if the coach decides to leave.
Despite that, Riley stated he has a “fantastic relationship” with Cohen, who has been “incredibly supportive” of him.
USC players also defended their coach. Quarterback Jayden Maiava pointed to the work done behind closed doors, but offered no insight to what that is. Offensive lineman Elijah Paige said Riley is the “right guy” and “there's not a better leader in the country.”
“I believe that everybody in the locker room and this entire building thinks the same thing,” he added.
The noise surrounding Riley will only amplify in the Halloween night bout with No. 2 Ohio State. A third loss is likely the fatal blow in USC reaching its first playoff, while Indiana and UCLA are still left on the schedule. There isn’t optimism among the USC fan base things will get better given Riley also has a poor track record against quality opponents, a 6-14 record against ranked teams.
So as commotion intensifies and critics wonder about a breakup happening, Riley is trying to avoid it all, trying to focus on keeping his team’s season alive.
“I'm looking forward to playing Ohio State. We've got a 6-2 record right now. We got a huge home game coming up here in the Coliseum, and if my focus is anywhere outside of that, then it's on the wrong place,” Riley said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lincoln Riley defends him staying at USC: 'I'm the right person to be here'
