USC Football: Lincoln Riley Put on Major Preseason Watch List

Ricardo Sandoval | Jul 26, 2024

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

As the USC Trojans enter the Big Ten conference, they will have eyes on them like none other. Some expect USC to fail right out of the gate, and some see the Trojans as one of the top teams in the country and the conference.

We won't know until the games start to get rolling, but regardless, they will have one of the best college head coaches by their side, Lincoln Riley. Riley will enter his third year at USC and yet another conference in his college coaching career, and he has a chance to do something special.

He has a chance to prove the doubters wrong and turn USC back to glory while potentially capturing one of the most coveted national coaching awards.

Riley is on the preseason watch list for the 2024 Dodd Trophy.

.@LincolnRiley named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 @thedoddtrophy ‼️✌️ pic.twitter.com/1WuFKdB5rE

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) July 23, 2024

21 coaches representing the Power Four conferences are on the watch list, including Ryan Day of Ohio State, Mario Cristobal of Miami (FL), Brian Kelly of LSU, Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss, Steve Sarkisian of Texas, and Kirk Ferentz of Iowa to name a few.

The Dodd Trophy celebrates the head coach of a team that enjoys success on the field while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership, and integrity, the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd's coaching philosophy.

Dodd was a longtime head coach at Georgia Tech and led the football program to a 165-48 record, including a national championship in 1952. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993, five years after his death at the age of 79.

A midseason watch list will be released in the fall, and we'll see if Riley will still be on it as the season progresses.

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