USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Among Highest Coaching Buyouts With Georgia's Kirby Smart
![Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_8017,h_4509,x_0,y_342/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_trojans/01jjrs4z25menakc5ezc.jpg)
USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley signed a 10-year, $110 million contract with USC prior to the 2022 season. Riley was previously the coach for the Oklahoma Sooners from 2017-2021 before accepting the job with the Trojans.
Riley is among the highest paid coaches in college football with the biggest coaching buyouts. What other coaches are in the top ten of biggest buyouts heading into the 2025 season?
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Lincoln Riley With 2nd Highest Coach Buyout in All Of College Football
Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans have had a rough past two seasons. Following Riley’s first season where they went 11-3, the Trojans went 8-5 in 2023 and 7-6 in 2024. Trojans fans have not seen their team in championship contention for quite some time, and now they are paying their coach top of the market money. Riley’s buyout is the second highest in college football at $90 million.
The coach with the highest buyout is Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart. Smart's estimated buyout is $118 million per 247Sports. His current contract goes through the 2033 season. By no means is Smart in hot water with Georgia fans right now, as they are still coming off a fairly recent run of back-to-back National Championships in 2021 and 2022.
Other coaches with the highest priced buyouts are Alabama Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer, Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, Florida State Seminoles coach Mike Norvell, and LSU Tigers coach Brian Kelly.
The Big Ten coach with the closest buyout number to Riley's is Penn State Nittany Lions coach James Franklin. His buyout is currently at $56 million.
Here is the list of the top ten biggest coaching buyouts heading into 2025 per 247Sports.
1. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs: $118 million
2. Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans: $90 million
3. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Crimson Tide: $70 million
4. Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns: $64 million
5. Mike Norvell, Florida State Seminoles: $63 million
6. Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers: $62 million
7. Mario Cristobal, Miami Hurricanes: $61 million
8. Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers: $60 million
9. James Franklin, Penn State Nittany Lions: $56 million
10. Matt Rhule, Nebraska Cornhuskers: $55 million
USC Looking Ahead to 2025
2025 will be a big year for Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans. After two straight disappointing seasons, USC must bounce back in a big way.
The offseason was not too kind to the Trojans as they lost a handful of their key contributors in 2024 to the transfer portal. Overall, USC lost 21 players to the transfer portal. All signs are pointing towards the Trojans giving quarterback Jayden Maiava the keys to the offense in 2025.
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