USC Football: Lincoln Riley Unpacks Impact Of Transfer Portal On Schedule

The offensive guru speaks.

The job of a college football coach, especially at a high-major Division 1 program like the University of Southern California, has always been incredibly time-consuming. Between recruiting, practices, speaking with the media, game planning, traveling, and holding player/personnel meetings, you'd think their schedules couldn't get any more taxing. 

Recently, however, the advent of the transfer portal has managed to make collegiate coaches and staff's schedules even more time-consuming. 

In a recent piece by Los Angeles Times writer Ryan Kartje, Riley's schedule has been dramatically altered by the transfer portal. He explains that for example, after USC's heartbreaking, late-game loss to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl in January, "Riley's staff had barely 24 hours...before potential transfers for the following year were on campus for visits." 

He continues, that originally, a college football coach's schedule would entail having after a bowl game (majority of February), and time in July off after camp. Now, however, with recruits (both transfer and out of high school) coming in year-round, along with USC's incoming travel increase due to their movement to the Big Ten, "Riley has a packed schedule that has left little time for his friends and family." 

This challenge, to Riley, is becoming a major issue. He argues that: 

"I think we'll see more and more people at least considering shutting it down a little sooner than they would have 15 years ago. There is, at times, that need, and I think Bob [Stoops] put it best, to have your own time and your families' own time. It's always going to be limited while you do this. I think there are other things I'm going to want to be." 

Evidently, the scheduling has taken a toll on Riley, making him a candidate for early retirement. The difficulty that comes with such a challenging job was previously partially checked back for by a quasi-academic calendar. Instead, now, it's become year-round, like many jobs, but the stress, challenges, travel, and spotlight that come as baggage with being a collegiate coach, make it one of the most difficult jobs out there. 

While Riley actually pulling the trigger on early retirement may seem like a long-shot, this isn't the first time he's mentioned it, making something worth watching as his children grow older and the USC program continues to find success. 

USC: Don't forget to join our community at LA Sports Report, where we celebrate all things Trojans!