Tag: lincoln riley

Lincoln Riley says USC football NIL operation has ‘taken some monster leaps’

Lincoln Riley has expressed fresh confidence in USC football’s NIL approach and resources.

Many college football programs had taken a very liberal interpretation of the role collectives could play in the nascent years of the NIL game. USC football appeared to have taken a very conservative and cautious approach to anything that might resemble an “inducement” to lure a prospective athlete to the program. 

The NCAA’s recent balk at enforcing its NIL rules against the University of Tennessee, combined with recent successes in the 2025 high school recruiting class, have fans and the media asking if USC changed its NIL stance and competitiveness. USC head coach Lincoln Riley was asked about the big recruiting weekend and NIL after practice on Tuesday.

“NIL has taken some monster leaps since we have been here,” he began. “It’s taken some monster leaps in the last several months, which has been really positive. It’s great to see (for) our fan base and our supporters, for everybody. It’s just been gaining an understanding of what is imperative. You have to have it. Last year was great outside of the whole collective world. Our guys were able to obviously, being in L.A., get more outside deals than anybody in the country, which is awesome, but we need the support to be right there with it too from our donors and from our collectives. That has taken some massive, massive jumps here in the last several months as our people get educated on what that really means, but it’s got to continue. Like any part of this, you know you have to do something about it. Behaviors have to change. You have to tear down things and build new facilities. You have to bring more money in. You have to bring in great, great coaches. You have to raise more NIL. You got to keep pushing the issue. We’re trying to do it and we are asking all our people outside to continue to do that as well.”

It will be interesting to see if this trend continues or if this recruiting success was based solely on the impressions that USC’s secondary coach, Doug Belk, and new defensive line coach, Eric Henderson, and not an improved NIL setup. While the coaches are impactful, the words of Riley are encouraging for fans who have been asking for a more aggressive and competitive NIL operation.

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Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell is one of On3’s top coaches in the Big Ten

Agree with Luke Fickell’s ranking?

The Wisconsin Badgers football head coach Luke Fickell was ranked in the top third of Big Ten coaches by On3’s Jesse Simonton on Tuesday.

Coming in as the sixth-best coach in the Big Ten in Simonton’s power rankings, Fickell sits behind Ryan Day (Ohio State – 1), James Franklin (Penn State – 4) and Kirk Ferentz (Iowa – 5) from the previous iteration of the conference. Also above him are newcomers Lincoln Riley (USC – 2) and Dan Lanning (Oregon – 3), who will officially be Big Ten coaches in 2024.

The Badgers team kicked off their spring practices this past Friday and the 2024 campaign will be the program’s second under Luke Fickell after a disappointing 7-6 record in 2023, including a 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Fickell still has a lot to prove at Wisconsin as the program looks to establish its place in the new era of the Big Ten. But he receives the benefit of the doubt nationally given his previous work at Cincinnati.

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‘We need to have a commissioner’: Bob Stoops calls for a college football commissioner

Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops says college football needs a commissioner.

One thing I think most college football fans can agree on is how poorly the NCAA is run. There is no consistency, and several teams have been rumored to be doing corrupt things without punishment.

You combine all of that with the NIL and transfer portal eras and it’s a recipe for chaos.

The transfer portal is probably the worst thing in college football right now. The immediate eligibility and unlimited ability to transfer has become an issue that plagues every team. Especially with it opening at the end of the regular season. A lot of players enter and leave instead of finishing bowl season with the team they are on.

Don’t get me wrong. It can also be a big help as it helps teams fill some of the holes in their rosters to make a run.

One person who is not a fan of how college football is being handled right now is legendary Oklahoma head coach, [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag].

“It’s not very good. I don’t think it’s very good for anybody,” Stoops said last week on 92.3 The Fan’s Afternoon Drive. “Is it sustainable? In my eyes, it’s not.”

Another person who has been outspoken about it is [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag]. He’s even spoke about it being a reason he retired.

So, what is the answer? Stoops thinks it’s time to add a commissioner to oversee everything.

“It’s a pro model right now with college football,” Stoops said.”It’s a pro model. So, the NCAA isn’t governing it. We need to have a commissioner. We have to have salary caps on what you can spend. You have to have contracts, on and on. I don’t see how you cannot if it’s going to continue this way.”

I think Stoops is right on the money. It’s time for this stuff to be governed. NIL and the transfer portal don’t seem to be going anywhere and that’s fine. We can discuss if players should or should not be paid on a different day. But one thing is for certain: it’s out of control right now and should be managed.

I said when Saban retired he’d make a good commissioner for college football if he wanted to but another great choice for the job would be Stoops. In my opinion, it needs to be someone who either coached or played the sport. Preferably a former coach who coached during this era would be the best answer in my opinion because they know what’s going on and the difficulties it causes.

But for now, college football will continue to be the “Wild Wild West.”

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Bennie Wylie and his USC staff made good on promise to bulk the team up

Lincoln Riley hasn’t just changed his philosophy on defense. Weight training methods have shifted as well.

The message for USC football this offseason has been simple and firm: Lift and eat. Lincoln Riley’s philosophical change to a more defense-first approach at USC has been accompanied by a change to a more aggressive method in strength and weight training. Wylie had used a more finesse-oriented approach at Oklahoma, but now, it’s all about getting bigger and tougher in Los Angeles. USC football players do look bigger across the board as spring practice gets going. The change in USC’s methods is beginning to take shape, a likely product not only of Riley’s adjusted priorities, but also of the departure of Alex Grinch, who stressed speed on defense at the expense of physical heft the past two seasons.

Bennie Wylie’s work is being affirmed by players, as this Orange County Register story indicates.

Braylan Shelby is just one of many USC players who can vouch for the effect of these new methods:

“I feel like they want us a lot stronger … just having that mentality, like, we gon’ go out there and we gon’ go mess something up,” Shelby said. “Like, we gon’ go out there, and we gon’ wreck havoc, we gon’ be there, we gon’ cause a scene.”

“That definitely helped, I guess, install in all our minds that – that’s the plan. That’s what we need to do this year. That’s what we need to change. That’s why we need to come different this year.”

USC receiver Ja’Kobi Lane said all of this is “built by Bennie,” a reference to Bennie Wylie. This really is a new chapter for USC football. Lift and eat has replaced the Alex Grinch finesse style and Lincoln Riley’s previous inability to cultivate elite defensive toughness at USC. That’s in the past. The Trojans, at least in attitude, have turned the page. Now the only thing left is to gain elite results.

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Lincoln Riley sees real improvement along USC’s offensive line

Lincoln Riley thinks two USC offensive linemen in particular are going in the right direction.

If there’s one position group where USC football really needs to improve in 2024, you can take your pick from two groups: the offensive line or the defensive line. USC frankly needs both units to significantly develop and evolve. Which one needs to develop more is a point of genuine debate. We can say that USC should strive for growth along both lines, not just one, but it is interesting to contemplate a world in which one line evolves a lot more than the other. At any rate, USC fans should be encouraged by what Lincoln Riley had to say on Monday evening about two Trojan linemen.

Emmanuel Pregnon and Elijah Paige both received positive early reviews, as noted by 247Sports:

“Pregnon has really come on,” Riley said. “He played his best game in the bowl game. He’s so much different than he was last year at this time. He’s made huge strides.

“Elijah came in in the Holiday Bowl and dominated. He probably played the best game for us that a tackle played all year last year against a quality defensive line, so we are really pleased with his progress.”

If USC can continue to make progress at all spots on the depth chart, the offensive line will give Miller Moss and the running game the blocking needed to make USC a complete team in 2024.

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Lincoln Riley sees USC’s two transfers from Oregon State as team leaders

Lincoln Riley praised the new players on USC’s defense who transferred in after Jonathan Smith left Oregon State.

Lincoln Riley said on Monday evening that two new USC football players who transferred in from Oregon State in the offseason are showing great leadership qualities.

“We’ve brought in some guys from a couple of other schools that I think have shown the capability to be outstanding leaders because they have been at their old places,” Riley said. “You think about Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Akili Arnold, guys that were leaders at their old programs.”

It is notable that Riley talked about the leadership qualities of outsiders, not players who were on the 2023 roster. This could be seen as a simple compliment of the Arnolds. The stepbrothers came from Corvallis for a chance to play at USC after Beaver coach Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State. However, it might also be a subtle hint that players on the 2023 USC defense who are still in the program did not display or earn elevated leadership status. At any rate, USC hopes the Arnolds live up to the billing and lead a defensive revolution for the Trojans in 2024.

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Lincoln Riley acknowledges the possibility USC might get an offensive tackle in transfer portal

USC badly needs another elite offensive tackle in the portal. Lincoln Riley is fully aware of that.

If USC football brings an offensive tackle to the roster in the coming spring transfer portal window, do not be surprised. Lincoln Riley told members of the media on Tuesday, at USC’s first spring practice media availability, that a portal addition at offensive tackle is a possibility.

If we are being both realistic and aspirational about USC’s spring transfer portal plans, the Trojans really do need another offensive or defensive tackle. They need both, but we said “realistic” as well as “aspirational.” The realistic view is that USC will get one of the two. That would really help. It might be too difficult to land both an elite offensive tackle and a top-shelf defensive tackle. That would, however, be the dream scenario for the Trojans and Lincoln Riley.

USC needs more depth and toughness up front as it prepares for the Big Ten. Does USC have everything it needs on both its offensive and defensive lines? Probably not. The Trojans might still be a few bodies short. That’s where the portal can fill in gaps. Can USC get the daily double and land tackles on both sides of the ball? If USC can at least get one game-changing lineman — offense or defense — it would significantly improve this team’s outlook for 2024 in the Big Ten.

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‘We could have won a championship with him’: Former Cleveland Browns interim coach on Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield received some high praise from his former interim head coach during his rookie season for the Cleveland Browns.

It is no secret it was an up-and-down start to Baker Mayfield’s career after he was drafted No. 1 by the Cleveland Browns.

During his first season, Mayfield set the rookie passing touchdown record with 27. He followed that with a poor second season. A great third year led to a playoff berth and the first playoff win for the Browns since 1994. His final season in Cleveland started well before he injured his shoulder and tried to play through it.

That resulted in the Browns trading for Deshaun Watson and sending Mayfield to Carolina. After a whirlwind 2022 season, during which he played for two different teams, Mayfield found his home in Tampa Bay. He had a career season that led to him getting a three-year, $100 million deal.

During that first season in Cleveland, Mayfield’s head coach and his offensive coordinator were fired midseason after a three-game losing streak.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams took over as the interim head coach and Mayfield and the Browns took off. They went 5-3, and Mayfield completed 68.4% of his passes for 281.8 yards per game, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Mayfield transformed a team that had gone 1-31 their previous two seasons into a seven-win team in his first year.

Williams was not retained as head coach, though. Instead, the Browns hired the interim offensive coordinator, Freddie Kitchens, as the head coach.

Williams spoke on “Come Get Some Show” and had high praise for Mayfield and the new contract he earned with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I’m so happy,” Williams said. “He’s one of my all-time favorites. I believe with all my heart, we could have won a championship with him had I stayed in Cleveland instead of heading out. I’m so proud at how he’s proven himself, time after time after time. From high school to college from college to the NFL and now within the NFL. Hey, come get some, Bake. I’m very happy for him.”

It’s easy to play the what-if game with Mayfield’s career. What if Williams had been retained and they built upon the momentum from the 2018 season? Would Mayfield still be there? Would they have won a Super Bowl like Williams thinks?

We’ll never know, but everything happens for a reason, and what is Cleveland’s loss is Tampa Bay’s gain.

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Lincoln Riley evaluation of USC secondary coach Doug Belk sums up USC football’s new approach

Doug Belk can recruit like Donte Williams but create the on-field accountability Williams never did cultivate at USC.

When Lincoln Riley talked to USC football reporters and beat writers a few weeks ago, he said something about new USC secondary coach Doug Belk which is worth noting.

Riley specifically said about Belk that “He does a great job of being able to relate to guys but holding them accountable in areas that are very important.”

USC’s previous defensive coaching staff had men who could relate to the modern athlete. Alex Grinch recruited Tackett Curtis to USC, and Curtis followed Grinch to Wisconsin this offseason after Grinch was fired by Lincoln Riley. Donte Williams is another coach from USC’s 2023 staff who formed very strong relationships with recruits. Williams was and is a skilled recruiter. Relatability is a strength Williams has.

However, while they figured out how to establish relationships in recruiting, Grinch and Williams did not establish accountability which led to discipline on the football field. Riley sees in Doug Belk a coach who can maintain the relatability of Grinch and Williams but create the accountability those two defensive coaches never did create at USC. This is why so many people are excited about Doug Belk specifically, and about the USC football staff on a general level in 2024.

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Lincoln Riley must develop a true complementary offense for USC football

Lincoln Riley needs to prove his words about a philosophical change are real, and not just lip service.

USC football head coach Lincoln Riley has had to revise the larger balance of offense and defense on his team. Last year at USC was an eye-opener which clearly brought about new changes on his defensive staff. Riley used one set of methods under Alex Grinch. It’s different now. Riley is learning how to be a better football coach. He is, after all, only 40 years old.

Riley recently said, “Everything here is going to be done with the defensive mind first,” and that has to start with the offense. Although USC finished the 2023 regular season third in points per game (41.8), fifth in yards per play (7.0), and 13th in total yards per game (468.4), USC was 113th in the country in time of possession. That would place them squarely at 16th among the 18 Big Ten schools which will play football in the conference this fall.

USC’s quick-strike aerial attack, a lack of commitment to the run game, an inability to secure the football, and generally undisciplined play led to penalties and missed pass blocking assignments. Those flaws contributed to a feast-or-famine offense. Turnovers and short drives put the defense in difficult positions and led to physical and mental fatigue late in games.

USC needs to find a mix of pass and run in 2024 that will take pressure off this emerging defense as the Trojans find their way in the new scheme under D’Anton Lynn. Swing passes, dig routes, and screens can be utilized as an extended run game. Riley and his quarterback need to be patient and take what the defense gives them to control the ball and clock. Although it’s hard to argue with a top three scoring offense in 2023, we will see if Riley’s new mindset of defense first is a new identity or if it just pertains massive changes to the defensive side of the ball.

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