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USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley Shuts Down Other Jobs, UCF Knights: 'I'm Home'

The UCF Knights have inquired about the potential availability of USC coach Lincoln Riley for their head coaching vacancy. However, in his National Signing Day press conference, Riley shut down any idea of him leaving USC. The Knights' former head coach, Gus Malzahn, recently stepped down to accept the offensive coordinator position at Florida State University

Kyron Samuels

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The UCF Knights have inquired about the potential availability of USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley, in a a report from The Athletic. In his National Signing Day press conference, Riley shut down any questions about him leaving USC.

"I tell them I'm a USC Trojan. I'm at the place I want to be. It's a non-starter, it's a non-issue. I'm home," Riley said when asked what he tells other schools that might be interested in him.

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Knights' former coach, Gus Malzahn, recently stepped down to accept the offensive coordinator position at Florida State University and left a vacancy at the once premier group of five programs. 

Now a member of the Big 12, the UCF program is still highly regarded and considered one of the better non-blueblood opportunities available. Similarly to Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans, the UCF Knights are coming off the heels of a disappointing season where they underperformed expectations. However, the inquiry about Riley’s availability signals how serious the program is about the next potential hire. 

“Representatives from UCF reached out to Riley’s representatives last weekend to inquire about his interest in making a move across the country, one source said,” said the report from the Athletic.

“Any discussions about adjusting the terms of Riley’s contract would be between him and USC, sources said.” continued the report.

Lincoln Riley’s estimated buyout ahead of the 2024 regular season was around 88 million dollars. That was the second-highest total after Georgia’s Kirby Smart. The language around Riley’s contract isn’t clear as it hasn’t been made public, but the expected financial involvement from UCF to pull off an acquisition of that magnitude would be significant. 

“Two sources said even if Riley had an interest in making the move, it would require some payout of his current deal with USC to make up for what he would be giving up in the transition — like a professional sports trade where one team pays a chunk of a player’s remaining salary on a large contract and the receiving team picks up the rest,” the report stated. 

Lincoln Riley is 25-14 in three seasons as coach at USC and 14-11 the last two seasons. However, Riley is 80-24 overall as a head coach and boasts two College Football Playoff appearances and four Big 12 conference championships. 

The Trojans are still awaiting news of placement in their upcoming bowl game, as well as putting a bow on their 2025 signing class.

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Kyron Samuels
KYRON SAMUELS

Kyron Samuels is a former college and professional football player now a writer, analyst, & digital host. Kyron is a writer for USC Trojans on SI and contributes to Oregon Ducks on SI. A graduate and letterman at Jacksonville State University, Samuels was a three-year starter, two-time all-conference, and won three consecutive conference titles. After a four-year professional stint between the AFL & XFL, Samuels retired from football. In 2022, Samuels was inducted into the Fairhope Athletic Hall of Fame. Post-playing career, Samuels has become a credentialed sports media member covering the NFL, UFL, USFL, & college football. The NFL Combine, Reese’s Senior Bowl, & East-West Shrine Bowl are amongst the events Kyron has covered. As a guest and host, Samuels has been featured on ESPNRadio, FoxSportsRadio, & IHeartRadio. Outside of sports media, Samuels works as a scouting consultant and has experience coaching at the collegiate level.

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