The USC Trojans went big-game hunting to hire a new head coach, and it paid off in full. Earlier on Sunday, reports indicated that the national powerhouse program was set to hire Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley to fill that vacancy.
It’s now about as official as it can be. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, USC has called a press conference for Monday to name Riley its next head coach.
This comes months after USC fired embattled head coach Clay Helton and with its football program struggling to remain relevant on a national stage.
USC sits at 4-7 on the campaign with a season finale set against CAL next weekend. It has not won double-digit games in a season since all the way back in 2017. In fact, the Trojans are 22-20 since the end of 2017.
To say that this is a monumental move would be an understatement. Riley, 38, is considered one of the best head coaches in the nation. Since taking over with the Sooners, he’s posted a resounding 55-10 record. That includes four consecutive big bowl game appearances.
As for Oklahoma, Bob Stoops will take over on an interim basis to close out the remainder of the season. The search for a long-term replacement is already ongoing with Arizona Cardinals’ Kliff Kingsbury being seen as a target of Oklahoma.