We know Lincoln Riley was stung by the Cotton Bowl loss to Tulane. It put Riley in a position where he had to defend defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, a man he has been very loyal to over the past several years. Riley was — and is — caught between the desire to make USC the very best and the desire to see Grinch succeed. Both of them matter, but if the 2023 season doesn’t go as planned on the defensive side of the ball, we know some changes might be coming.
What is Riley really thinking, deep down, about Grinch and the defense? We’re probably not going to get answers particularly soon, at least if The Riley Files podcast is any indication. Oklahoma expert Kegan Reneau emphasized the point that Riley is guarded and keeps his deepest thoughts hidden from public view.
“He’s very reserved,” Reneau said. “Lincoln Riley’s that guy that would probably, back in college, instead of all his buddies going out in Lubbock (where he attended Texas Tech) — you know how much fun people have in Lubbock in college — he probably played NCAA football. He’s very introverted. He’s a big introvert and very private as you guys know. I don’t think this has been talked about in the open, but early on during his time at Oklahoma, the media was asked not to take pictures of his family.”
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