It’s no secret that Lincoln Riley, one of the most recognizable names in college sports, has struggled since leaving Oklahoma for USC.
In 2024, after starting 1-4 in conference play, former USC athletes began the process of calling out Riley for his continued struggles.
Former USC running back LenDale White had an incredible two-year career at USC in 2004 and 2005, posting back-to-back 1000-yard rushing seasons.
After another brutal loss in Week 8, White took to social media advocating for USC to do to Riley what they did to Lane Kiffin back in the day.
“I’m gonna be completely honest Lincoln Riley should be embarrassed,” White posted on X. “They should probably do him like they did, Lane Kiff.”
What Happened to Lane Kiffin at USC?
White is referring to the infamous Lane Kiffin tarmac incident, which ended his time with the Trojans. Following a 62-41 loss to Arizona State, former USC AD Pat Haden elected to fire Lane Kiffin on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport at 3:14 in the morning.
The infamous date was September 28, 2013. Kiffin was called off the team bus that was preparing to head back to campus from Los Angeles International Airport and taken to a small room inside the terminal where Haden told Kiffin he was being dismissed. After the meeting, Haden rejoined the team bus, and they headed back to campus with Kiffin’s bags, leaving Kiffin behind at the airport. Haden formally announced the decision to dismiss Kiffin the next day.
Lincoln Riley’s USC Tenure
During his time at USC, Riley has had some peaks and valleys. Despite developing Heisman winner Caleb Williams, Riley holds a 22-12 overall record and 14-9 in conference play. For the record, Lane Kiffin was 16-7 in his first 23 conference games at USC.
Since moving to the Big Ten this season, Riley has quickly amassed an increasingly loud group of critics. USC’s four Big Ten losses are by a combined 14 points. There are two ways to look at that: USC is in every game, or they don’t know how to win close games in Year 3 under Riley.
After losing to Maryland on Saturday, Riley said, “The game doesn’t care that you’ve had some real close heartbreaking losses. These weeks are their own weeks or their own nights. It’s kind of a strange stretch that we’ve been in. I don’t know, really, that I can compare it to anything that I’ve experienced in my career. But we’ve got two choices going forward. And those two choices are pretty obvious.”
Lincoln Riley’s Buyout
When Riley was hired by USC in 2022, he signed a 10-year contract with $110 million dollars, which stunned the college football world, and of course the Oklahoma Sooners, who he left to head west. USC’s a private university, so Riley’s buyout is not public knowledge. However, 247Sports estimated that the Trojans coach stands to make $88 million dollars should he be fired.
