Lincoln Riley walks into the 2025 season with a loaded deck—at least on paper. The USC Trojans boast one of the nation’s top-ranked recruiting classes, a restyled coaching staff, and a defense finally capable of complementing his explosive offense. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is now in Year 2 of his tenure, and expectations are growing louder in South Cal. But the sunny façade of promise hides a storm of pressure. The Trojans haven’t delivered when it’s mattered most, and with the Big Ten gauntlet looming, Riley’s wiggle room is shrinking fast.
Questions are mounting for the program: Is this a make-or-break year for Lincoln Riley in LA? That question has been amplified by both insiders and analysts across the college football spectrum. Crain & Company insiders with former Michigan TE Jake Butt didn’t hold back. “I actually feel worse about this one than maybe anything else on this list just because… when you look at the way these Lincoln Riley teams have been put together. We know the talent offensively is there. Bringing in D’Anton Lynn—you know, we saw what they did early in the year against LSU with a big win—but it kind of faded.” Butt’s words sting because they ring with truth: USC has been notoriously top-heavy. Dynamic on offense, but defensively flawed. The wear and tear of Big Ten play doesn’t allow for that imbalance.
The issue, Butt continues, is deeper than just personnel. “Is the depth on defense good enough to be able to have USC even finish in the top 10 in this conference? I look at this point like Lincoln Riley—I don’t know… I don’t know if he can be a well-rounded, fully balanced coach to be able to win in multiple ways.” It’s a critique that’s echoed around the sport. For all his offensive wizardry, Riley’s programs have stumbled in moments that demanded grind-it-out football—games where defense and special teams win the day.
Lincoln Riley’s $6 million gamble, D’Anton Lynn, is the best hope to fix that flaw. As Butt put it, “D’Anton Lynn, that defense looked completely different—night and day—from one year to the next. They didn’t have high-level talent… I’m just talking about the physicality they played with, the willingness to tackle and the discipline.”
Due to a sharp improvement defensively, USC trimmed its points allowed per game from 34.4 to 24.1 in 2024. However, the microscope is tighter than ever. The Trojans are now Big Ten members, meaning there’s no hiding from blue-blood bruisers like Michigan, Penn State, and Washington. Add to that Notre Dame and UCLA on the slate, and this year feels less like a rebuilding effort and more like a reckoning. And that scrutiny isn’t just coming from within the West Coast bubble. In May, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum called Lincoln Riley a “fraud,” claiming the coach “bailed out” of the Big 12 and has fallen well short of the lofty expectations since landing at USC.
Those jabs may sound theatrical, but they reflect the mounting reality. USC hasn’t won a conference title since 2017, and the “QB guy” hasn’t produced one since his Oklahoma days. The 6–7 stumble in 2023 did major reputational damage. And while 2024 brought a better product, it still lacked signature wins and postseason presence. Now, with a defense that has some bite and an offense still brimming with elite skill, 2025 has become something of a $6 million referendum on whether Lincoln Riley is more than just a play-calling savant.
Of course, paper résumés don’t win on Saturdays. It’ll take more than fireworks on offense to carve out a legitimate identity in a conference built on line-of-scrimmage muscle and December weather.
Still showtime? Lincoln Riley’s legacy hangs in the balance
Not everyone’s ready to slap the panic button on Lincoln Riley just yet. Despite the chatter and scorching hot takes, there’s still belief in the building. One anonymous conference coach recently told Athlon Sports, “We’re talking about a team that can go in and play with the best programs in the nation again.” It’s a sentiment that captures what Riley loyalists still see: a coach whose offensive brilliance hasn’t dimmed and a program that’s finally catching up defensively.
And while 2025 will be a proving ground, USC’s recruiting efforts have been anything but hesitant. The Trojans are swinging big with the class of 2026, which currently sits at No. 1 in the nation, per On3. The message is clear: USC isn’t just planning for a strong season—they’re building a future. Even this year’s incoming 2025 class, ranked No. 15 nationally and No. 5 in the Big Ten, brings serious juice. Leading the charge is five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet, the kind of dual-threat weapon Riley thrives with. Alongside him is four-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, a much-needed piece upfront.
Riley was hired to make the playoffs and drag the Trojans back into college football royalty. Anything less in 2025, and the “fraud” tag? It might stick like gum on the Coliseum floor.
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