Lincoln Riley was not the first person off of the team bus prior to the college football game between USC and Washington on Saturday afternoon. That is not typical of the head coach, who typically leads the Trojan Walk.
Where was he?
As of this writing, we do not have an answer for the college football coach’s whereabouts. However, it is rather unusual given the ongoing criticism of his program.
What is the Trojan Walk?
Most simply put, the Trojan Walk is USC’s version of a pregame entrance. Every team has its own version.
Like most Division I college football programs, the Trojans stay at a local team hotel in the Los Angeles area on the night before home games to maintain a strict routine, review playbooks, and limit distractions. The team leaves together in buses on game day. The buses arrive to a designated location outside of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with two hours and 45 minutes until kickoff.
From there, the players and coaches walk to the Coliseum peristyle entrance past a sea of eager fans. For example:
Once the players and coaches get to the stadium, they walk down the Coliseum stairs, past the retired jerseys onto to the field.
Friday Night Trojan Walk ✌️ pic.twitter.com/Oofbg9YFIh
— Ryan Dyrud (@RyanDyrudLAFB) September 4, 2026
Family, friends, boosters and students are there to greet them once they hit the turf. The walk continues across the gridiron back into the tunnel to the locker room.
USC Trojan walk ahead of Louisiana ✌️ pic.twitter.com/E2178diRp6
— Ryan Dyrud (@RyanDyrudLAFB) September 13, 2026
Again, this Trojan Walk tradition is not unique to USC. But it is a tradition. It happens at every game. It has happened at every game for as long as I can remember, dating back to the early 2000s.
Lincoln Riley was absent!
The head coach typically leads the Trojan Walk, or at the very least, joins in on the Trojan Walk. Lincoln Riley has led the team in all 58 games as head coach. He is always the first one off of the bus. He typically walks in front of his players into the Coliseum.
Not on Saturday! Riley was not the first person off of the bus. Nor did he get off of the bus at all. He was not there.
Where was he? We don’t know. He only arrived to the field for the first time with 47 minutes until kickoff.
The USC fanbase is not happy with its head football coach. He cannot seem to win the big game. He is getting paid a lot of money to finish with at least three losses in each of his four seasons at the helm. The Trojans expect to compete for a national title.
Fans are just tired of the gimmicks, like the juice boxes, as they are the excuses. It is not cute or funny if you’re not winning.
To make matters worse, USC displayed poor behavior during a blowout loss to Oregon last weekend. Riley’s seat has never been hotter. Fans are giving up on their head coach. Many of them are calling for his head.
Maybe Riley was trying to avoid the criticism by skipping out on the Trojan Walk. Perhaps there is something bigger brewing behind the scenes. Maybe he has a cold. Maybe he was trying to keep the focus on the players.
I don’t know. You don’t know. We don’t know.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth asking questions. Where was Lincoln Riley?