Keyshawn Johnson did not say that Lincoln Riley needs to be fired but Keyshawn Johnson might as well have said that Lincoln Riley needs to be fired. The USC football legend said that it is “not working out” and that “tough decisions” need to be made.
Make of that what you will…
There are four games remaining in the college football season. The Trojans could very easily go 1-3.
Caleb Williams stepped in to coach Jayden Maiava.
USC looked awful against Wisconsin on Saturday. The Trojans recorded the lowest points total of any team coached by Lincoln Riley. They were held under 300 total yards for the first time in the Riley era. Jayden Maiava was sacked five times and threw two awful interceptions during the first quarter.
The offensive line failed to generate any push at the line of scrimmage. The defense allowed the Badgers to run for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
If that was not bad enough, USC ran for only 40 yards on 20 carries (not including the yardage lost on the sacks), committed six penalties, and converted less than 50% of its attempts on third and fourth down. Wisconsin won the game with only 58 yards passing. It was mucky. It was gross.
Maiava finished with 31 completions for 258 yards and one touchdown but his longest completion was only 16 yards and he threw the two picks. The veteran quarterback also committed several intentional grounding penalties. He did not play well.
“I think it was a lot of self-inflicting wounds. It’s just stuff we got to get better at,” he said. “And me, flat out, didn’t play great individually but I just got to deliver better for my teammates.”
Caleb Williams made the trip from Chicago to Madison to watch the Trojans. The former Heisman Trophy winner at one point walked over to Maiava to offer some advice.
Caleb Williams 🤝 Jayden Maiava
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 25, 2026
The past USC QB chats with the present QB. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/calKtmA4yf
It appeared as though Williams told Maiava to use his feet and to find his checkdowns if he lost his feet. It did not make a difference. Maiava struggled throughout the entire game. USC lost in blowout fashion on the road.
Keyshawn Johnson wants Lincoln Riley to be fired.
Former No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick and Super Bowl champion Keyshawn Johnson was a two-time First Team All-Pac-10 player at USC and was named as a Unanimous All-American and Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 1995. He also won the Paul Warfield Trophy as the best wide receiver in college football.
Although his jersey number is not retired, because the Trojans only retired the jersey numbers of Heisman Trophy winners, Johnson is widely considered the best wide receiver in program history. (Alongside Marqise Lee!!)
Now 54, Johnson is fed up with the current state of USC football. His alma mater has not been in a position to compete for a national title since the Pete Carroll era. This year was supposed to be the year. If Saturday’s loss is any indication, it’s not.
Johnson thinks it is time for a change. He did not explicitly call for Lincoln Riley to be fired. He just posted a two-minute and 42-second rant about the loss to the Badgers and implied that Riley should be fired. Take a listen:
USC needs to win out against top-10 Ohio State, Indiana, and UCLA, and Maryland, to have any chance of making the College Football Playoff. The Trojans could very easily finish the season at 7-5. Riley could be at risk of being fired either way. His attitude toward the fanbase and the media is just as frustrating as the on-field results.
Johnson made his opinion clear. Will his wish come true?