UCF has inquired concerning the availability of USC coach Lincoln Riley in its seek for a alternative for Gus Malzahn, three people aware of those discussions said Wednesday.
There was no indication that Riley was enthusiastic about the move, the people said. He has reportedly been on a 10-year contract for 3 seasons that pays him about $10 million per yr.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because all conversations were private and UCF didn’t publicly release details of its coaching search.
Riley's contract is just not publicly available because USC is a personal school, but moving him away from Southern California – if he wanted to go away – would likely cost tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars, either for the Trojans or for the varsity trying to poach him.
According to a source, UCF officials reached out to Riley's representative last weekend and inquired about his interest in moving across the country. Any discussions about adjusting the terms of Riley's contract could be between him and USC, sources said.
The first source added that UCF has received no word from Riley's camp that he’s enthusiastic about leaving USC and that the varsity remains to be in search of multiple candidates to fill the top coaching emptiness.
Firing Riley, whose win total has declined in each of his three seasons with the Trojans, would cost USC about $90 million, based on considered one of the sources. If Riley were to vary schools, he wouldn't owe USC anything. But UCF is in no position to repeat the deal Riley made at USC. Malzahn earned $4 million at UCF in 2024.
Two sources said even when Riley had an interest within the move, it might require some payout from his current contract with USC to make up for what he would quit within the transition — like an expert sports deal where a team pays a portion of a player's remaining salary on a big contract and the receiving team covers the remainder.
Riley was hired at USC by former athletic director Mike Bohn, who resigned within the spring of 2023 amid controversy. University President Carol Folt also oversaw the hiring and will likely be retiring this summer, meaning two of the primary parties involved in bringing Riley to USC will likely be gone.
Jen Cohen, Washington's former athletic director, was hired as head of the athletic department in August 2023. She inherited Riley and his contract.
It finds itself within the unenviable position of getting a football program that isn't doing well but having a coach who is simply too expensive to maneuver on from. In the spring, Cohen navigated a fragile situation with men's basketball coach Andy Enfield, whose term had expired but whose track record was too good to justify firing. He eventually took the SMU job and Cohen hired Eric Musselman from Arkansas to exchange him.
Even if there’s a suitor for Riley, getting out of his deal appears to be harder.
Malzahn left UCF after 4 seasons as head coach to turn into offensive coordinator at Florida State. The Knights posted a 10-15 overall record and a 5-13 league record of their first two seasons within the Big 12 after switching from the American Athletic Conference. UCF received only a partial share of Big 12 revenue last yr, about $18 million, and is scheduled to receive about $19 million for the 2024-25 fiscal yr.
In 2025-2026, the number increases to the total share, which is anticipated to be about twice these numbers.
Riley is 25-14 at USC since being lured to Los Angeles from Oklahoma after the 2021 regular season. It was a seismic move for the Trojans, taking away a coach with a 55-10 record in Norman and two Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.
The Trojans went 11-3 in Riley's first season, with one other Heisman winner in Caleb Williams, the star quarterback who followed the Oklahoma coach to USC. But since then the outcomes have been trending within the flawed direction.
USC achieved an 8-5 record in 2023, its final season within the Pac-12, and finished its first regular season within the Big Ten with an overall record of 6-6 (4-5 in league play).
After the 2023 season, Riley said that he “didn't come here (USC) for any short-term reason and as long as SC continues to give us the support and the things we need to continue to build this two-year rebuild, this hasn't been a success.” .”
Recruiting didn’t meet the high expectations that got here with Riley's hiring. USC continues to regress on the sphere each season and this system doesn't appear to have much direction going forward, making Riley's prospects seem hazy at best.
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