Getty Image
Lincoln Riley has been at USC for just a year and a half, but one program insider is already hinting at a departure for the NFL. Scott Wolf appeared on the Dan Patrick Show this week to say Riley is already feeling the pressures of coaching in Los Angeles, and he could opt to follow QB Caleb Williams to the pros if given the chance.
Rumors have begun to swirl suggesting the head coach has been putting “feelers” out to NFL teams, with many believing he’d jump at one opportunity in particular.
At the beginning of the College Football season, DP speculated about the possibility of Lincoln Riley leaving #USC to follow Caleb Williams to the #NFL. Reports this week came out that Lincoln has put out feelers about taking a job in the NFL next season. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/TEjZMbk2SQ
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 18, 2023
“In NFL coaching circles, the talk is that Lincoln Riley is putting out feelers about taking a job in the NFL next season,” Scott Wolf of Inside USC wrote. “To be clear, this chatter was going around last week and has nothing to do with USC’s loss to Notre Dame.”
With news of a potential departure beginning to circulate, Patrick invited Wolf onto the show to take a deeper dive.
The insider suggested that an NFL scenario would involve a package deal with passer Caleb Williams, who figures to be the top pick in next year’s draft.
Wolf has been covering the program for more than two decades, so his insights into the situation shouldn’t be taken lightly. Here’s what he had to say on the DP Show this week.
“I’ve heard this from three different NFL coaches that they’ve heard he’s putting out feelers to tell teams that he’s ready to jump if it’s the right scenario,” Wolf said. “He wants to go somewhere with Caleb Williams, presumably the No. 1 pick in the draft, so the team that had the top pick or traded for the top pick. That would be the ticket to the NFL.”
Wolf then noted Riley’s comments from earlier this year where he was quoted as saying he didn’t want to coach past the age of 50, as well as the growing pressures of coach the Trojans.
“I think he is getting a little frustrated because there is a lot of criticism in LA… For two years they’ve been talking about the horrible defense and his lack of a defensive coordinator. I think all that stuff kind of wears on him, and he’s looking at life without Caleb Williams, so I think it’s something he’s pondering.”
Riley’s relationship with Williams has lasted throughout the quarterback’s college career. He started at Oklahoma where he unseated Spencer Rattler as QB1. He then followed his coach to Los Angeles when Riley took the USC job.
If this were to come to fruition, the Trojans would be the second major program to see a quick departure. Riley was at OU for five seasons before leaving Norman.
Riley has five more games to coach at USC this year, plus any potential postseason contests, but whispers are growing louder after the loss to Notre Dame. Still, a College Football Playoff appearance remains on the table, and he would return to a stacked QB room should he stick around in LA, even with Williams being drafted.
At this point, it’s just speculation, and it’s worth noting that Wolf leaned on the side his staying with the Trojans next year.
“I suspect he will be back just because I’m not sure an NFL team is going to want him, and from what I’ve heard, if they did want him, they would order him to hire a defensive coordinator that they want… I don’t know if he’s ready to give up that power.”
Time will tell how it all plays out. At the very least, there’s uncertainty at USC.