Lincoln Riley Shares Stance on Deion Sanders’s Use of Transfer Portal Amid Criticism From Coaches

The USC coach addressed Sanders’s roster overhaul ahead of Coach Prime’s first season in Boulder.

USC coach Lincoln Riley voiced his support for Colorado’s Deion Sanders on Friday amid an offseason where the first-year Buffaloes coach faced backlash over his extensive roster overhaul in Boulder.

Speaking to reporters during Pac-12 Media Day, Riley addressed Sanders’s ability to rebuild and fortify his roster within the guidelines of the NCAA’s rules. Over the last eight months, CU has retained just 10 scholarship holdovers while adding 75 new players, including 50-plus transfers, and losing over 40 players to the transfer portal since Sanders was hired on Dec. 3.

“I give [Sanders] credit,” Riley said, according to FanNation’s Buffs Beat. “We all know what the rules are. We all know what the parameters are. And our job is to build the best teams that we can for the universities that give us the opportunity to do it. No excuses.”

Riley later went on to praise the work Sanders and his staff have done ahead of the 2023 season, which will see the Trojans and Buffaloes square off at Folsom Field on Sept. 30.

“Our job as leaders is to do the best we can for the people that give us the opportunities. From the outside looking in, it looks like they’ve done a great job transforming that roster, bringing in some really good players,” Riley added, per the Denver Gazette.

With Coach Prime’s first season in the Pac-12 a hot topic entering the fall, Colorado, similar to USC last season, will face added attention given the revamped roster.

Judging by his response, Riley likely can relate to what Sanders has faced following his first season in SoCal. After re-tooling USC’s roster, headlined by transfers Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman winner, and receiver Jordan Addison, Riley led the Trojans to an 11–3 season and a Pac-12 championship game appearance.