USC Football

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley will reportedly be the next head coach of the USC Trojans and will not coach the Sooners' upcoming bowl game, according to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman. 

Former Sooners head coach Bob Stoops is reportedly expected to be named interim head coach. 

According to Feldman, talks between Riley and USC "really escalated" Saturday night into Sunday morning.

"For Riley, it was the appeal of Los Angeles, the local recruiting talent and the opportunity of trying to rebuild a brand," Feldman wrote. "That was all very enticing to him. He was also impressed with the alignment of the administration."

Riley informed the team and his coaching staff of his decision on Sunday, per Feldman. Stoops was in attendance for that meeting. 

The news of Riley's decision comes after he vehemently denied rumors that he would be the next head coach at LSU following Oklahoma's 37-33 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday. 

The Sooners' loss to the Cowboys eliminated them from Big 12 title contention. They finished with a 10-2 record and third in the conference after losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Baylor. 

Riley had been head coach of the Sooners since 2017 and compiled a 55-10 record. The Sooners won the Big 12 in his first four seasons at the helm, and he also led the team to three College Football Playoff appearances.

Riley will replace Clay Helton at USC. Helton, who was fired in September, was in his seventh full season with the Trojans (he was the interim head coach for one game in 2013) before being canned just two games into the 2021 campaign. 

USC finished the 2021 season 4-7 and fourth in the Pac-12 South behind Utah, Arizona State and UCLA. 

Stoops, meanwhile, coached the Sooners from 1999-2016, compiling a 190-48 record in that span and a 9-9 record in bowl games. He hired Riley as his offensive coordinator in 2015 and pushed for him to be named the team's next head coach in 2017. 

Stoops has been working as a panelist for Fox Sports's college football team. According to 247Sports, he had been linked to USC and Florida's head coaching vacancies but expressed interest in remaining with Fox.  

USC has found its next head coach as it looks to reestablish itself among college football's elite programs.

The Trojans announced the hiring of Lincoln Riley, who was the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners since the start of the 2017 campaign:

We got our guy.

Join us in welcoming @LincolnRiley and his family to Los Angeles!#FightOn✌️ pic.twitter.com/CHnhzHRFT6

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) November 29, 2021

Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported the news prior to the announcement.

Riley discussed the move and his appreciation for his time at Oklahoma:

Lincoln Riley on USC/leaving Oklahoma: pic.twitter.com/e0pop8DvWW

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 29, 2021

The position became open after athletic director Mike Bohn announced USC fired Clay Helton on Sept. 13. His departure came after the Trojans lost 42-28 in their Pac-12 opener to Stanford and didn't look like the conference championship contenders fans were hoping to see in 2021.

Helton released a statement saying he was "forever indebted" to the players he led during his tenure:

Thank you Trojan Family. Fight On! pic.twitter.com/ejZe6Pr5rV

— Clay Helton (@GSCoachHelton) September 14, 2021

USC made Helton the interim head coach in 2015 following the firing of Steve Sarkisian, and he led the team to a 5-4 record that first season. The Trojans made him the full-time head coach during that time, and it appeared to be the correct move when they finished the 2016 campaign with nine straight wins.

Victories over Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington and UCLA were included in that stretch, as was a Rose Bowl win over Penn State.

However, that was the program's last bowl win. It went 5-7 in 2018, 8-5 in 2019 and lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 title game during the shortened 2020 campaign. Helton went 45-24 since 2015 and was unable to return USC to the consistent excellence it once enjoyed.

Reports of potential candidates immediately started to come out.

Thamel reported James Franklin, Bob Stoops, Chris Petersen, Matt Campbell, Bill O'Brien, Luke Fickell, P.J. Fleck, Mario Cristobal, Greg Schiano and Tony Elliott were potential hires, while ESPN's Adam Schefter reported some NFL sources saw Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as a candidate for the position.

There is always going to be pressure at USC as it attempts to rediscover the glory days of the Pete Carroll era. The Trojans were annual national title contenders under his watch and won double-digit games seven years in a row from 2002 through 2008. 

However, they have struggled to compete with the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and other national powerhouses since.

It is up to Riley to change that, and he found plenty of success with the Sooners.

Oklahoma went 55-10 during his tenure and reached double-digit wins in every season except for the shortened 2020 campaign. The Big 12 powerhouse went to the College Football Playoff in three of the previous four years and was in position to perhaps battle for a spot this year until Saturday's loss to Oklahoma State.

While there was some speculation Riley could go to LSU until he shut that down Saturday, this is still something of a surprise.

Oklahoma has been one of the best programs in the entire country of late and is primed to join the SEC in the near future. USC, by contrast, has struggled to rediscover its glory days while competing in a Pac-12 conference that does not get the same level of attention or playoff spots as the SEC. The school dropped to 4-7 after a 35-31 loss to No. 12 BYU on Saturday.

Still, Riley will look to bring the Trojans back to the top of college football and perhaps do something he was unable to do with the Sooners—win a national title.

Amid rumors about his future with Penn State football, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin said he is "not going anywhere" while speaking at the State College Quarterback Club on Wednesday, per Neil Rudel of the Altoona Mirror. 

Recent reports have linked Franklin to USC as the school looks to replace Clay Helton, who was fired in September. 

Franklin has been head coach of the Nittany Lions since 2014. He also coached the Vanderbilt Commodores from 2011-13. The 49-year-old is 66-32 at Penn State and has one Big Ten title, a win in the Fiesta Bowl and Cotton Bowl. 

Penn State is 6-4 this season. The Nittany Lions got out to a 5-0 start before losing to Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State. They defeated Maryland after those three straight defeats but lost to Michigan on Saturday. 

Franklin has addressed his future with Penn State several times this season, most recently during his weekly press conference Tuesday, via 247Sports:

"We've been in the same situation before, and we've had really strong seasons. I think you're also in a situation, obviously, this year where we've lost some games that we had a chance to win and our record looks a little bit different. So I get people are trying to connect the dots. All the things that I'm able to control, I'm controlling. But I get it. I understand the business. I understand people's concerns.

"Again, I would just say, looking at my my track record over my time here — eight years — my actions and my behaviors. I think have been consistent since I've been here."

In addition to USC, Franklin has been linked to LSU. The Tigers are parting ways with head coach Ed Orgeron at the end of the 2021 season. Lincoln Riley and Jimbo Fisher have also been linked to the LSU job, among others.  

The USC Trojans football team has already had a rough season, and now it will be without its best offensive weapon for the rest of the year.

USC interim head coach Donte Williams confirmed to reporters Sunday that wide receiver Drake London will miss the remainder of the season because of a fractured ankle.

London was forced out of Saturday's game against Arizona in the second quarter when he took a hit as he crossed the goal line for a six-yard touchdown. His right leg was put in an air cast and he was carted off the field. 

London finished with nine catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns as USC went on to win 41-34 to improve to 4-4. He returned to the sidelines in street clothes and using crutches.

"In those eight games he played, all the awards you can think of he deserves, whether it's the Biletnikoff, whether it's first-team All-American," Williams said. "The things he did for this team and this university, he was about to put up one of the best statistical seasons any receiver has ever put up in college football, and that's saying a lot.

"At the same time," he added, "yes, we're going to miss him as a player, but the things that people forget about is who he is as a person to this team. He's a team captain for a reason."

A projected first-round pick in the NFL draft, London ranks third in the nation in total receiving yards and yards per game. The 6'5" junior finishes the season with 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. 

Williams said London was in good spirits Sunday despite the bad news.

"He was still here [Sunday] in the team meeting, he still was high spirits, he still was walking around on his crutches, but he still was smiling and he still was one of the guys," Williams said. "He didn't look at it as like he was devastated and crying and by himself."

USC will face Arizona State in a road game Saturday.

USC wide receiver Drake London had to be carted off the field during Saturday's game against Arizona. 

Per Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times, London was "in some clear pain" and holding his right leg before trainers got him onto the cart. 

The injury occurred when London got tackled while scoring a touchdown in the second quarter. His legs got caught underneath Arizona cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace at the end of the play. 

USC's training staff had to remove London's shoe and put a walking boot on him on the sideline before taking him to the locker room on a cart. The junior wideout had nine catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game. 

Now in his third season at USC, London has positioned himself to potentially be a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. ESPN's Todd McShay has him ranked as the No. 25 overall prospect in his latest ranking of the top 32 players released this week. 

London has been one of the best wide receivers in the nation this season. He came into the week ranked second in the nation in both receptions (79) and receiving yards (1,003) and first on the Trojans with five touchdowns.

Tahj Washington will likely move into London's spot as the No. 1 wideout. The Texas native ranks second on USC with 24 receptions and 309 yards in seven games.    

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is the latest person to be rumored for USC's vacant head-coaching position, but he emphatically denied any interest in the opening Tuesday. 

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin denies he'd leave Pittsburgh for the open USC football job:

“That's a joke to me. I got one of the best jobs in all of professional sport. ... There's not a booster with a big enough blank check"

(via @steelers) https://t.co/Hv4mmvzJag

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 26, 2021

More Mike Tomlin re his name being attached to college coaching jobs: "There's not a booster w/ a big enough blank check."
And: "Anybody asking Sean Payton about that? Anybody asking Andy Reid about stuff like that?"#Steelers

— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) October 26, 2021

"I don't have time for that speculation," he said. "That's a joke to me. I got of one of the best jobs in all of professional sport. Why would I have any interest in coaching college football? ... Never say never. But never."

Former USC and NFL quarterback Carson Palmer said on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday that Tomlin was among the front-runners for the job:

Former USC QB Carson Palmer tells @dpshow the “ front-runners” for USC job include Penn State’s James Franklin, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell & Steelers coach Mike Tomlin

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 25, 2021

"You've got a wild card like Mike Tomlin," Palmer said (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). "If Mike Tomlin wants out."

"I'm sure he has," Palmer said about whether Tomlin has been discussed by USC as a possibility. "I think anybody is a potential candidate right now. And that's what’s so great about the job is it can lure an NFL guy that's tired of their current situation and worried about: Is Ben Roethlisberger gone? Is he done? Who are we gonna draft? Is Mike Tomlin gonna have to start over with a young rookie quarterback?"

USC fired Clay Helton in September. Donte Williams has been serving as the interim head coach.

Tomlin, 49, has a good gig with the Steelers. He's in his 15th year with the organization, where he's gone 148-81-1 with nine playoff appearances, two Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl title.

Even if the Steelers fired Tomlin—which seems unlikely, given his successful tenure—he'd find another NFL head-coaching job quickly.

From that perspective, his annoyance at being linked to the USC opening makes sense. If most football coaches view the NFL as the pinnacle of their profession, going from the Steelers to the Trojans would be a step down, not a step up. 

Former NFL head coach Jeff Fisher is among the candidates in USC's coaching search following the firing of Clay Helton, according to The Action Network's Brett McMurphy.

Fisher, an alumnus of USC, compiled a 173-165-1 record in 22 seasons with the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams.

Former Trojans star Carson Palmer inadvertently spilled the beans on whom his alma mater is targeting during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. He cited the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin as a possibility and alluded to Penn State's James Franklin, Iowa State's Matt Campbell and Cincinnati's Luke Fickell:

Carson Palmer has been included in conversations surrounding #USC next Head Football Coach and he says #Steelers HC Mike Tomlin is a name that could be in the mix. pic.twitter.com/GJpar0cZUy

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 25, 2021

Even though he has an existing connection to the school, Fisher would be an odd choice for USC.

The school famously struck gold with Pete Carroll, who had been fired by the New England Patriots and wasn't one of the top candidates on the athletic department's wish list.

But Carroll was 50 in his first year with USC, and he had worked as an assistant for  Arkansas, Iowa State, Ohio State, North Carolina State and Pacific prior to moving to the NFL.

Fisher, meanwhile, will turn 64 in February, and the extent of his college coaching experience is working as an advisor for Tennessee State this season.

A better analog for Fisher might be Arizona State head coach Herm Edwards.

Edwards, who had been out of the sport since 2008, took over the Sun Devils ahead of the 2018 season. In addition to mixed results for ASU on the field (22-15 overall record), the NCAA is looking into potential violations the program committed.

The steadily diminishing returns of the Helton era demonstrated the need for USC to hire a head coach who can energize prospective recruits in the way Carroll and his staff did. The Trojans currently sit 43rd in 247Sports' composite team rankings for 2022. They've watched as Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal has poached some of the best talent in Southern California.

It's difficult to envision Fisher as somebody who can make USC the pre-eminent recruiting power in the Pac-12 again.

The downturns Florida State, Miami and Nebraska are evidence of how quickly a one-time powerhouse can get mired in quicksand because of a series of bad coaching hires. That could be USC in a few years if athletic director Mike Bohn whiffs on Helton's replacement.

With so much on the line, Fisher would raise eyebrows.

Former USC quarterback Carson Palmer said Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin could be a "wild card" for the Trojans' head-coaching vacancy.

"That's what's so great about the job," Palmer said on the Dan Patrick Show. "It can lure an NFL guy that's tired of their current situation and worried about, 'Is Ben Roethlisberger gone? Is he done? Who are we gonna draft?' Does Mike Tomlin have to start over with a first-round, young rookie quarterback?"

Carson Palmer has been included in conversations surrounding #USC next Head Football Coach and he says #Steelers HC Mike Tomlin is a name that could be in the mix. pic.twitter.com/GJpar0cZUy

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 25, 2021

Tomlin has been the Steelers' head coach since 2007 and signed a three-year extension in April that keeps him under contract through the 2024 season. The Steelers have had only three coaches since 1969. Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, Tomlin's two predecessors, left after retiring from football.

While some NFL coaches have left their pro jobs for college in the past, it would be unprecedented for someone of Tomlin's tenure to depart for USC. The Steelers aren't a franchise that would automatically fire Tomlin in the case of one or two lean years, either, with their loyalty also ranking as unprecedented. 

Tomlin also has no ties to USC or the Los Angeles area, making the fit even less likely. 

The more likely scenario is USC filling its vacancy with one of several college names listed as candidates or potentially an NFL coordinator. The Trojans appear likely to make a splash with their next hire, with Clay Helton proving an uninspired choice that led to largely uninspired results.

The program has finished inside the top five of the AP poll only once since Pete Carroll left for the Seattle Seahawks following the 2009 season. 

No. 13 Notre Dame topped rival USC 31-16 at home Saturday. Running back Kyren Williams led the Fighting Irish with 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the victory.

Notre Dame led for the entire game as it improved to 6-1. USC fell to 3-4 on the season.

It was Notre Dame's first matchup against the Trojans since 2019 after the Pac-12 canceled all nonconference games in the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With Saturday's win, the Irish have now defeated the Trojans four straight times and extend their all-time series record to 48-36-5.

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Notable Performers

Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams: 25 CAR, 138 YD, 2 TD

Notre Dame QB Jack Coan: 20-of-28, 198 YD, TD, INT

USC RB Keaontay Ingram: 24 CAR, 138 YD, TD

USC WR Drake London: 15 REC, 171 YD

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Notre Dame's Tempo Throws USC Off Balance

Notre Dame opened the game with an uptempo offense, and it seemed to work wonders for starting quarterback Jack Coan. He was able to make quick reads, work through his progressions and make easy throws.

Despite splitting time with quarterback Tyler Buchner, Coan got in a rhythm early and kept that momentum going throughout the game. He found Avery Davis in the end zone to open the scoring in the first quarter.

Jack Coan finds Avery Davis for the Notre Dame TD. The Irish open the scoring in South Bend.

USC 0
NOTRE DAME 7

pic.twitter.com/puUsA0QT14

— Brendan Moore (@bmoorecfb) October 24, 2021

Coan orchestrated two long drives of 75 and 80 yards that culminated in touchdowns by Williams. Buchner found his way into the end zone to extend the lead after the Trojans made it an eight-point game.

WE'VE GOT A TOUCHDOWN.

Notre Dame extends their lead over USC.#GoIrish | @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/ygBc3zqrcx

— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 24, 2021

So nice, he did it twice ✌️@Kyrenwilliams23 scores his second touchdown of the night!#GoIrish | @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/qwldjTHDEr

— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 24, 2021

Touchdown, Tyler Buchner.

That should just about do it. Notre Dame has been the more physical team, USC the more undisciplined. Both programs know who they are. And playing like it.

Notre Dame 31
USC 16

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) October 24, 2021

USC's defense looked out of sync as it tried to keep up, sometimes having the wrong personnel on the field or failing to get set before the snap. The Trojans also committed some untimely penalties that kept some of the Irish's drives alive.

First a PI, now an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Xavion Alford to move Notre Dame up to the USC 15. Just needless mistakes by the USC defense after it had just given the Trojans life one drive earlier.

— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) October 24, 2021

Notre Dame seems to have found a formula that works with Coan under center. The tempo allowed him to make quick decisions and avoid the mistakes he had been prone to earlier this season. He also wasn't under a lot of pressure thanks to the quick throws.

The Irish should continue to employ the uptempo offense if they hope to make a late-season run to earn consideration for the College Football Playoff.

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USC Fails to Capitalize on Early Opportunities

USC moved the ball well against Notre Dame's defense, but it couldn't take advantage of its early opportunities. The Irish lost All-American safety Kyle Hamilton to an apparent knee injury in the first quarter. The Trojans had three first-half drives in the red zone, but only three points to show for it.

Kedon Slovis had USC in position to tie the game early in the second quarter, but his pass was tipped and intercepted by Bo Bauer. Credit Slovis for not giving up on the play and tackling Bauer at the 4-yard line, as the Trojans defense held the Irish to a field goal.

TURNOVER ALERT 🚨

WHAT A PLAY BY @____bb52!#GoIrish | @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/QN8dLLlO0A

— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 24, 2021

The Trojans also mismanaged the clock to end the first half. USC lined up for a fourth-down play but then burned its last timeout as the play clock was winding down.

After converting the fourth down, Slovis failed to find Drake London open in the end zone and chose to run the ball himself to get another first down. The offense couldn't get lined up quickly enough to clock the ball and set up a field-goal attempt as time expired.

Drake London was open on that snap. Kedon Slovis didn’t see him. And USC lets the half run out. Woof.

Halftime:
Notre Dame 17
USC 3

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) October 24, 2021

So. Did Graham Harrell call a run on first down with 30 seconds left, or did Kedon Slovis check into it? And how did Slovis not know to throw it away on second down instead of keeping the clock running?

And why did USC have to use its final timeout on fourth down to begin with?

— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) October 24, 2021

I honestly still have no idea how you make all the mistakes that USC just did in a 30-second span. https://t.co/m3JQHNTuaP

— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) October 24, 2021

The Trojans opened the third quarter with another drive that stalled in the red zone. Parker Lewis then missed a 42-yard field goal.

USC finally broke through at the start of the fourth quarter with a touchdown run by Keaontay Ingram. Darwin Barlow also punched in a touchdown to make it an eight-point game, but the Irish answered with a touchdown on the next possession.

USC is still working through some uncertainty under interim coach Donte Williams. The Trojans will have to eliminate early mistakes so they can avoid constantly playing from behind as they move forward into the Pac-12 schedule.

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What's Next?

Notre Dame will remain at home for next week's game against North Carolina. USC will host Pac-12 foe Arizona on Saturday.

Georgia's hot start to the 2021 season is paying dividends for next year's recruiting class. 

Defensive lineman Mykel Williams told Chad Simmons of On3.com he has flipped his commitment from USC to the Bulldogs:

Georgia has had my attention from the beginning, and nothing ever changed, but my love for Georgia now is stronger than ever. Even when I was committed to USC, Georgia never fully left my mind. I loved USC, and I liked them a lot, but Georgia was always there. They never went away. ... My love for Georgia is stronger now. I am locked in with Georgia.

The native of Columbus, Georgia, is a 5-star prospect and the No. 5 defensive lineman in the 2022 class, per 247Sports.

Williams committed to USC in June, with Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson among many schools that presented him with a scholarship offer. 

"I have a great connection with the whole coaching staff," he told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports about picking the Trojans. "Two, the players on the team, they want to be great and want to win and do something big. Three, the fans and the atmosphere, it’s electric. Every time I talk about USC on Twitter and Instagram, it just feels great."

The strong-side defensive end recorded 69 tackles and 17 sacks in 11 games for Hardaway High School as a junior in 2020. 

Andrew Ivins, the Southeast recruiting analyst for 247Sports, wrote in his scouting report that Williams is a "scheme-versatile big man with a projectable frame and one of the longest verified reaches out of any blue-chip prospect in the class of 2022."

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and his staff are pushing all the right buttons. The Bulldogs are the unanimous No. 1 team in both the AFCA Coaches Poll and Associated Press Top 25 with a 7-0 record.

The addition of Williams moved Georgia up to No. 2 in 247Sports' recruiting rankings for 2022. He is the program's second 5-star commit after linebacker Malaki Starks.