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Lincoln Riley

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Lincoln Riley
2017-0717-Big12MD-LincolnRiley.jpg
Riley at 2018 Big 12 Media Days
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamUSC
ConferencePac-12
Record0–0
Biographical details
Born (1983-09-05) September 5, 1983 (age 38)[1]
Lubbock, Texas
Playing career
2002Texas Tech
Position(s)Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2003–2005Texas Tech (SA)
2006Texas Tech (GA)
2007Texas Tech (WR)
2008–2009Texas Tech (IWR)
2010–2013East Carolina (OC/QB)
2014East Carolina (AHC/OC/QB)
2015–2016Oklahoma (OC/QB)
2017–2021Oklahoma
2022–presentUSC
Head coaching record
Overall55–10
Bowls1–3
Tournaments0–3 (CFP)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
4 Big 12 (2017–2020)
Awards
Broyles Award (2015)
Big 12 Coach of the Year (2018)
AP Big 12 Coach of the Year (2018)

Lincoln Michael Riley (born September 5, 1983) is an American college football coach and former player who is the head coach of the USC Trojans football program at the University of Southern California.[2] He previously served as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma for five seasons from 2017 to 2021, where he won four consecutive Big 12 Championship Games and lost three times in the College Football Playoff. With a record of 55–10 (.846), Riley left his previous program holding the Sooners' all-time record for winning percentage as a head coach, edging out such Hall of Fame greats as Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer, and his coaching mentor, Bob Stoops.

Playing quarterback himself as a walk-on player at Texas Tech and known for his "Air Raid" offensive scheme, Riley has mentored two Heisman Trophy winners at quarterback (Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray) as well as another starting NFL quarterback in Jalen Hurts.[3]

Early career

Riley ran track at Muleshoe High School in Muleshoe, a small town of roughly 5,000 in West Texas. He began his high school career at defensive end and made the move to quarterback for his junior and senior seasons.[4] Riley played quarterback at Texas Tech University as a walk-on in 2002,[5] behind senior starter and future Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury and back-up B. J. Symons.

Coaching career

Early career

In 2003, Riley became a student assistant to Mike Leach,[5] gradually progressing to graduate assistant and then to receivers coach. Following his departure from Texas Tech after the firing of Leach, Riley went on to serve five seasons as offensive coordinator at East Carolina University[6] under Ruffin McNeill.

Oklahoma

Riley was hired by Bob Stoops to be the offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners on January 12, 2015.[7][8] In his first season at Oklahoma, Riley led the Sooners to the 7th ranked offense in the country and to the College Football Playoff. He also won the Broyles Award, awarded the nation's top assistant coach. On June 7, 2017, Bob Stoops retired as head coach and Riley was named his successor.[9] In the 2017 season, Riley, anchored by Heisman winner Baker Mayfield, led his team to the Big 12 conference championship, a No. 2 ranking in the College Football Playoff ranking, and a berth in one of the CFP semifinal games at the Rose Bowl. Oklahoma went on to lose the 2018 Rose Bowl to Georgia, in double, overtime 54–48.[10] It was the first of three consecutive 12–2 seasons for the Sooners under Riley. Moreover, OU won the 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Big 12 Championship Games during Riley's tenure there. As of the day he had left, Oklahoma (and Riley) had won all four of the revived Big XII Championship Games since the conference resumed them. However, the Sooners had already been eliminated from contention for the Big XII Championship Game for the 2021 season and would soon to move to a new conference.

Riley finished his tenure at Oklahoma with a 55–10 record and the highest winning percentage in the history of coaches at the OU program. In his relatively brief time there, he mentored two quarterbacks who won the Heisman Trophy: Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray in consecutive seasons. Another who did not win the trophy, Jalen Hurts, went on to an NFL career as a starting pro quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fox Sports Radio and other sources reported that Riley was unhappy with Oklahoma's decision to move to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) from their traditional home in the Big 12 Conference.[11][12] OU's Athletic Director Joe Castiglione countered that Riley had been "on board" with Oklahoma's shift to the SEC.[13]

USC

On November 28, 2021, Riley was named the 30th head coach of the USC Trojans football program representing the University of Southern California, replacing Clay Helton. The move was widely praised in Los Angeles area media, with the Los Angeles Daily News calling it a walk-off home run hire for the Trojans after Riley's "brilliant" five years at Oklahoma, predicting that Riley would revive and transform not only USC football, but also Pac-12 football in general and all of "football in the western third of the country."[14] The Los Angeles Times pointed out that Riley "still has an itch to scratch when it comes to winning at the highest level of the sport" and must feel he can "reach the summit more easily from USC."[15] Riley himself cited, in an interview given to SportsCenter two days later, the "history and tradition of one of the greatest college football programs of all time, the city, the Mecca of sports right here in Los Angeles" were what had lured him over to USC.[16] Riley stated it was "tough" to leave Oklahoma but he "knew it was the right thing."[17]

Against rivals

With Oklahoma

Riley left Oklahoma with a 10–2 career record against the Sooners' biggest football rivals.

Texas

Riley won his last four consecutive games in the Red River Showdown rivalry against the Texas Longhorns, leaving with a record of 5–1. His only loss came in his second year, 2018, but his Sooners soon had their revenge in the 2018 Big 12 Championship Game, defeating that same Texas team in that same year with a conference championship on the line. This was the first time Oklahoma and Texas had played twice in the same year since 1903.

Oklahoma State

Riley finished 4–1 against in-state rivals, the Oklahoma State Cowboys. His Sooners lost only his final game against the Cowboys, which put No. 7 OSU into its first Big 12 Championship Game and was played just one day before Riley took the job with the Trojans.

Nebraska

The once famous Nebraska–Oklahoma football rivalry against the Cornhuskers was played only once in Riley's tenure. His Sooners won their only rivalry game, in 2021, 23–16.

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Conference) (2017–2021)
2017 Oklahoma 12–2 8–1 1st L Rose† 3 3
2018 Oklahoma 12–2 8–1 1st L Orange† 4 4
2019 Oklahoma 12–2 8–1 1st L Peach† 6 7
2020 Oklahoma 9–2 6–2 2nd W Cotton† 6 6
2021 Oklahoma 10–2 7–2 3rd Alamo[a] 10 10
Oklahoma: 55–10 37–7
USC Trojans (Pac-12 Conference) (2022–present)
2022 USC 0–0 0–0
USC: 0–0 0–0
Total: 55–10
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
  1. ^ Riley departed for USC prior to the bowl game.

Coached 1st round draft picks

Riley has coached five first round NFL picks that were drafted out of his program(s) so far as a head coach.

Also won the Heisman Trophy
Year Player Pick Draft team
2018 Baker Mayfield
1
 Cleveland Browns
2019 Kyler Murray
1
 Arizona Cardinals
2019 Marquise Brown
25
 Baltimore Ravens
2020 CeeDee Lamb
17
 Dallas Cowboys
2020 Kenneth Murray
23
 Los Angeles Chargers

Personal life

Riley graduated from Texas Tech in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science. He and his wife Caitlin have two daughters, named Sloan and Stella.[18]

His younger brother, Garrett, currently serves as the offensive coordinator at TCU and was previously the running backs coach at Appalachian State.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Happy Birthday, Lincoln Riley: A look at the OU Football Coach's Career". Tulsa World. September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Lincoln Riley Named New USC Football Head Coach". University of Southern California. November 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Brianna Dix. "The evolution of Oklahoma's Air Raid under Lincoln Riley". USA Today, June 3, 2021. Accessed December 1, 2021.
  4. ^ Bailey, Eric (January 16, 2015). "Lincoln Riley: From Muleshoe, Texas, to Oklahoma's new offensive coordinator". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Lincoln Riley takes over playcalling for Texas Tech offense: 'We've got a great plan'". 2010-01-02.
  6. ^ "Morris: Lincoln Riley makes ECU's offense go". Archived from the original on 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  7. ^ "ECU's Riley becomes Sooners' O-coordinator". 2015-01-12.
  8. ^ Writer, ERIC BAILEY World Sports. "Lincoln Riley officially named Oklahoma's offensive coordinator".
  9. ^ Silverstein, Adam; Kercheval, Ben (June 7, 2017). "Bob Stoops retires after 18 seasons with Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley to take over". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  10. ^ "Rose Bowl score:Georgia Completes comeback over Oklahoma in 2OT Thriller". January 2, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  11. ^ Ryan Burschinger. "Lincoln Riley Was Unhappy With Oklahoma Leaving Big-12 For SEC". Fox Sports Radio, November 28, 2021. Accessed December 1, 2021.
  12. ^ Sean Beckwith. "Sooners’ planned move to the SEC might’ve pushed Riley to USC". Deadspin, November 30, 2021. Accessed December 1, 2021.
  13. ^ "Lincoln Riley was 'on board' with Oklahoma's move to the SEC, AD says". The Athletic, November 29, 2021. Accessed December 1, 2021.
  14. ^ John Wilner. "What USC’s hiring of Lincoln Riley means for the Pac-12 (hint: it’s gargantuan)". Los Angeles Daily News, November 30, 2021. Accessed December 3, 2021.
  15. ^ J. Brady McCollough. "Five things USC fans should know about new football coach Lincoln Riley". Los Angeles Times, November 28, 2021. Accessed December 3, 2021.
  16. ^ Wilton Jackson. "Video: Lincoln Riley Explains Why He Left Oklahoma for USC". Sports Illustrated, November 30, 2021. Accessed December 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Riley says leaving OU was tough but 'right thing'". 30 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Head Coach Lincoln Riley". OU Athletics. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  19. ^ "SMU names Garrett Riley, brother of Lincoln, as co-offensive coordinator". ESPN. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2021.

External links

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