USC football 2026 recruiting class could save Lincoln Riley's job
One thing Riley can hold his hat on is his ability to recruit. Riley and his staff in 2026 have brought home the No. 1 recruiting class in the country (No. 2 according to some rankings, but not all). College Sports Wire writer Matt Zemek highlights the recruiting class for 2026 as a reason Lincoln Riley could hold onto his job even after a rough 2025 season.
"This circles back to Chad Bowden's place in USC football's plans. Bowden has instantly transformed USC's NIL operation and has caused the 2026 recruiting class to take off like a rocket ship. USC has consistently had a top-two class for the past several months. To use a familiar turn of phrase in the football industry, USC has given Lincoln Riley high-quality groceries. Now the coach is in position to cook.
"Legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells talked about how an NFL front office asked him to cook the dinner. Parcells wanted a say in how to run a team, which he likened to shopping for the groceries themselves. USC has changed its system to have Lincoln Riley focus more on cooking while other people shop for the groceries. Now that some high-end groceries are arriving, it just wouldn't make sense to not give Riley at least one season with superior talent in 2026."
USC is bringing in some of the best players in the country in 2026. Lincoln Riley has shown he can have success with talented rosters, due to some successful seasons with Oklahoma where he fielded teams filled with NFL talent. The more talent Riley has to work with, the more successful he can be. In the Big Ten, the amount of competitive teams is larger than it was in the Pac-12, directly resulting in why USC had a disappointing season last year.
Riley has made adjustments to field a better team than last year. With the talent that is coming in the following year, cutting Riley right before USC can reap the benefits would be a huge mistake.
Lincoln Riley has brought NFL-caliber coaching to his staff, and he knows how develop college players into high first-round draft picks especially at the quarterback position. This recruiting class will be a key factor in USC ultimately deciding to keep Riley.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
27 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Big Ten media days: USC-Notre Dame rivalry expires in 2026 — with no sure bet it will be extended
LAS VEGAS — All the reshuffling of schedules, conferences and playoff formats in college football has placed one of the sport's best traditions in peril: the USC-Notre Dame game. The contract for a rivalry that dates to 1926 expires after their game in 2026. Both schools have expressed a willingness to lock down more games, but differences over how many appear to be holding up the negotiations. USC's move to the Big Ten gave the Trojans less flexibility on their nonconference schedule. Big Ten teams have nine conference games and only three open slots. Speaking at Big Ten media days Thursday, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said he was, of course, hopeful that the series will continue. But not at any cost. 'I want to play the game. Absolutely. It's one of the reasons I came here,' Riley said. 'But also, my allegiance and my loyalty is not to Notre Dame, and it's not to anybody else. I'm the head football coach at USC, and I'm going to back USC.' Some of the uncertainty revolves around the College Football Playoff. The Trojans have lost six of the last seven against Notre Dame. If CFP leaders decide to award four automatic bids to the Big Ten, which is the conference's preference, a long-term deal to play the Irish might be more palatable to USC. A system with more at-large bids, however, would make it more difficult, from a CFP standpoint, to absorb a nonconference loss. Preston Stone is a good ol' Texas boy who starred in high school for Parish Episcopal and then spent four years at SMU. After entering the transfer portal following last season, however, he finally got to visit a team he once admired from afar — behind a video-game controller when he was 11 years old. 'For absolutely no reason whatsoever, when I was a little kid playing NCAA 14, I would always be Northwestern,' Stone said. 'They had really cool black uniforms and they had a fast quarterback in Kain Colter, who I used to love playing with in the game.' So, after touring the campus and meeting Wildcats coach David Braun and offensive coordinator Zach Lujan, Stone was sold on transferring from the Lone Star State to Evanston. 'Facilities are incredible, I think we have the best indoor in the whole country,' Stone said. 'You could feel a level of sincerity from Coach Braun. That was just different. And first meeting coach Lujan, you could tell from the first couple minutes with him, how incredibly smart of an offensive mind he is. I knew that if I came here they were going to set me up for success.' If UCLA improves on the field as much as coach DeShaun Foster did behind the mic at Big Ten media days, this could be a good year for the Bruins. Foster spoke Thursday and made fun of his 2024 appearance, which included a cringeworthy 72-second opening statement highlighted by this observation about the program he was taking over: 'I'm sure you guys don't know much about UCLA, our football program, but we're in LA.' In heading to the lectern Thursday, Foster didn't shy from that moment. He acknowledged he took some ribbing from players and others after last year's effort. 'Last year I stood up here and reminded everyone that UCLA is in LA, which, looking back, might have been the most obvious geography lesson in Big Ten history,' Foster said. 'But you know what? Important things are worth stating clearly. We are in LA, and we're proud to be in LA' Underneath all those laughs, though, was a serious message. Foster, embarking on his second season at Westwood, said the moment 'taught me a valuable lesson. Authenticity resonates more deeply than perfection.' He faces a big challenge. The Bruins haven't won a conference title since 1998 and haven't played on Jan. 1 since that season's Rose Bowl. Bolstering UCLA's hopes is the arrival of quarterback Nico Iamaleava from Tennessee. Iamaleava helped the Vols make the College Football Playoff last season. Penn State's Nick Dawkins, the son of NBA legend Daryl Dawkins, will be one of four returning starters on the offensive line this season. That might not have been the case had the Nittany Lions not lost to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff. 'After that game specifically, I was pretty dead set after that for sure,' Dawkins said of his decision to return. 'I had some thoughts prior to the season ending, from a personal standpoint for my NFL draft stock, if it would be the best decision to come back. But when something like that happens, it kind of trumps all the individual stuff.' Dawkins said it became more about the legacy of Penn State football and what he wanted to leave behind for the program's history. 'My whole life, I've been representing my last name, and my last name has had so much legacy and worth attached to it before,' said Dawkins, an all-Big Ten honorable mention last season. 'I've always been a part of something bigger than myself, and that's how I view my life, and Penn State falls right into that category.'
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
WATCH: Cardinals training camp highlights from Thursday's practice
The Cardinals had their first practice of training camp with fans in the stadium on Thursday. The Arizona Cardinals had their first public practice of training camp on Thursday, getting work in at State Farm Stadium in front of fans. As has been reported, they cut practice short because of a scary injury when rookie safety Kitan Crawford and fourth-year linebacker J.J. Russell, a new offseason addition, collided and Russell took the brunt of it. He had to taken off the field on a backboard and carted to the locker room to be evaluated for head and neck injuries, and he was later taken to a local hospital for more testing and observation. Before practice ended, there were plays made. Below are some of the video highlights that wee shared on social media. Arizona Cardinals training camp highlights from Thursday Receiver Zay Jones is vying for playing time this year. Head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis spoke of "third-level" work earlier in the offseason. Rookie cornerback Will Johnson getting some work. Some Michael Wilson Mack Wilson is working as Kyzir White's replacement as the "Mike" linebacker Star Thomas breaks up a pass. He is a guy to watch in the cornerback battle. Marvin Harrison Jr. cooked Jalen Thompson. And, just before Gannon ended practice. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Bill Belichick thankful to be coaching UNC, highlights team growth at ACC Kickoff
What type of player does Bill Belichick like to coach? Larry Fedora fizzled out. Mack Brown didn't work during his second stint. This offseason, the UNC football team went big with its latest head coaching hire: 8-time Super Bowl Champion Bill Belichick. Despite never previously coaching at the college level, Belichick's NFL resumé speaks for itself. He turned the New England Patriots from a decent franchise into the NFL's most-feared dynasty, developing the greatest football player to walk this earth in Tom Brady. Belichick is no stranger to the Tar Heels, though. Belichick's dad, Steve, was an assistant coach in Chapel Hill from 1953-1955. At the ACC Kickoff event on Thursday afternoon in Charlotte, Belichick spoke about the opportunity to come back and coach college football, digging in on player development. 'I've always wanted to coach in college – and I'm glad to have the opportunity to be at a great school like Carolina," Belichick said in front of a packed media room. "The great thing about working with college players is the growth and development that I've seen with them. Developing players is really what coaching is. We take great pride in that. A Carolina player is a player who wants to be a good football player, who wants to work hard, who wants to make a commitment towards improving on a regular basis, both training and team execution on the field." UNC hired Belichick back in December 2024, so he's now going on month seven working with his new players. Several people are expecting a championship-caliber Tar Heels team in 2025, but it all depends on how Belichick develops his guys. The first opportunity for North Carolina fans – and the entire college football world – to see offseason development pay off will be Monday, September 1 at 8 p.m. in Kenan Stadium. UNC hosts TCU in the final game of Week 1, on ESPN, under the lights. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
