The NFL will have to wait. On Sunday, Lincoln Riley confirmed that he is leaving the University of Oklahoma to become the next head coach of the USC Trojans. 
[RELATED: Oklahoma Eyeing Cardinals’ Kliff Kingsbury]
“Leaving OU was probably the most difficult decision of my life,” said Riley in a statement issued by Oklahoma. “OU is one of the best college football programs in the country, and it has been forever…This was a personal decision solely based on my willingness to go take on a new challenge, and I felt like it was the right opportunity for me and my family to do that.”
Not long ago, many believed that Riley’s next challenge would come in the professional ranks. Multiple NFL clubs have shown interest, including the Eagles earlier this year, before they settled on Nick Sirianni.
Riley has amassed a 55-10 record since taking over for Bob Stoops in 2017. Though the National Championship has eluded the Sooners, Riley’s work with No. 1 overall picks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray made him a hot NFL candidate. Riley’s still just 38 years of age, so he could make the leap sometime in the future. For now, he’s headed to Southern California while Stoops resumes his old job in an interim capacity.
In related news, Oklahoma has interest in Kliff Kingsbury, but it’s hard to imagine him leaving the first-place Cardinals.
Riley wants no part in participating in the SEC west.
how much of a raise did they give him?
Softest move by a guy in Oklahoma since Durant going to GSW.
He was scared to join the SEC
Honestly.. smart move. If not the NFL, why not take one of the easiest paths to the NCAA Playoffs? USC plays no one, and I mean that with all due respect to Notre Dame and Oregon. If you have a USC team that wins the Pac-12 they’ll get put in even as a 1 loss over other 1 loss teams because its USC.
Except they’ll still have to beat Notre Dame and Oregon – two teams they haven’t consistently beaten in quite sometime.
Yes, but they are beatable teams year in and year out. It’s still an easier path. The SEC is decidedly a harder path for Oklahoma. And the only other job that had clout was LSU, also in the SEC. If Harbaugh’s fired you still have to go through the rest of the Big 10 annually.
I’d rather play Utah, Oregon, and Notre Dame annually than the other gauntlets. It’s an easier path. Not as easy as Clemsons but close.
OU has a winning record all-time versus the SEC, so this “he’s scared” narrative is not only false, but just lazy and unoriginal.
It’s embarrassing emotional reasoning too.
Well, there’s a difference between an occasional game against an SEC team and playing a full SEC conference schedule, which is without doubt a stronger conference overall than the Big 12.
Goddamn he sure changed his mind quick from what he said Saturday. Maybe, just maybe Bob Stoops comes back, highly doubtful I know, but crazier things have happened
That’s why OU fans are so mad. After the osu loss, he was specifically asked about the LSU job and emphatically said he was staying at and “committed” to OU. Then, 8 hours later, he turns tail and slips out of Norman.
So OU loses their star coach after a bad season by Oklahoma standards right before the jump to the SEC. I thought I was having a bad weekend as a Buckeye fan.
This garbage out all over social media about Riley being afraid of the SEC is just fanboy rationalization. Dumb asf.
Why do you say that? Legitimate question, I’m honestly curious and don’t have a dog in the fight. Rumor had it that he was upset about Oklahoma moving to the SEC back when the proposal was first brought up.
Should go after Josh McDaniels
Spare me!
Spare yourself
Not garbage, but not correct. He was against OU leaving for the SEC. It is about $$$ for OU and Texas, but absolutely wrecks the Big12 conference. Also radically changes the college football landscape and not in a good way. Most fans should be against this move. So this move is not a surprise.
The big 12 has been a joke of a conference in football for years. It may not be great for fans of big 12 teams that Texas and OU left, but an Oklahoma Alabama conference game will be better than any big 12 game in like 15 years if not longer.
When did this become College Football Rumors??
This appears here due to the fact that at least one pro coach is being named as a person to watch for the job, that’s why.
Meh. Just because Kingbury’s name is mentioned doesn’t mean it’s true. These writers inject names in every piece they do, whether it’s fact or not. And Adam Scheffter saying it, doesn’t give it any more credibility either.
But it makes it an NFL rumor anyway
USC has a top five fight song but that’s about the only reason anyone on the East coast would even take an interest in the team.