USC lands Lincoln Riley as next football coach
LOS ANGELES - USC confirmed reports Sunday that they have finalized a deal with Oklahoma football coach Lincoln Riley to become the Trojans' next coach, the 30th in the university's history.
LAWRENCE, KS - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners talks to players during warmups before taking on the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on October 23, 2021 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/Gett
"It's a New Day in LA! Welcome to the Trojan Family, Lincoln Riley!!," USC Athletics tweeted Sunday.
Earlier in the day, the Trojans canceled a scheduled Zoom media briefing with interim head coach Donte Williams that had been set for 4 p.m.
The Trojans, mired in a disappointing 4-7 season, have been searching for their next head coach since Athletic Director Mike Bohn fired Clay Helton on Sept. 13.
Riley is considered a surprise hire -- and a splash hire. Cincinnati's Luke Fickell, Baylor's Dave Aranda, Penn State's James Franklin and Iowa State's Matt Campbell were the names most often linked to the Trojans job in media speculation over the last couple of months.
But Riley brings impressive credentials and a prominent national reputation to Los Angeles. He is 55-10 as Oklahoma's head coach, with three College Football Playoff appearances and four Big 12 championships in his four full seasons in Norman. The Sooners are 10-2 this season.
Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.
Riley also presided over two Heisman Trophy winners at Oklahoma, with quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray winning the prestigious award in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Prior to taking the Sooners head coaching job in June 2017, Riley was an assistant coach at Texas Tech, East Carolina and Oklahoma.
Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.