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Lincoln Riley contacted for Big 12 head coaching vacancy, per report
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Lincoln Riley’s tenure at USC has not taken off as expected. Coming off his worst season with the Trojans, and first in the Big Ten, he’s now reportedly being contacted for a Big 12 vacancy.
According to an extensive report from The Athletic, Riley has been contacted by UCF regarding the head coaching vacancy of the Knights. Former head coach Gus Malzahn recently resigned in order to join Mike Norvell’s Florida State program as the offensive coordinator.
UCF has made a swing for Lincoln Riley, but there has been no indication Riley is interested in making the move.
From @BruceFeldmanCFB @AntonioCMorales and @ralphDrussoATH:https://t.co/2b8lGeL0xf
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 4, 2024
According to The Athletic’s report, there has been no indication Riley is interested in making the move all the way across the country from Los Angeles. And that’s not exactly a surprise.
Riley just completed his 3rd season with the Trojans after the program landed him away from Oklahoma. However, pressure might be rising for the head coach coming off his worst season since arriving at USC.
After going 11-3 in his first season with the Trojans, the team regressed to 8-5 in Riley’s 2nd season with Caleb Williams. After Williams left for the NFL, USC fell all the way to 6-6 in its first Big Ten season.
Regardless of Riley’s interest level, it looks like UCF is pushing every button possible in the job search. It was also reported on Wednesday that program has been in contact with Scott Frost, a former head coach for the Knights who led the team to an undefeated record in 2017.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
