Paul Finebaum eviscerates Lincoln Riley: 'I can't think of anybody whose coaching has been more fraudulent'

Each year since Lincoln Riley took over at USC in 2022, the Trojans’ record has worsened. During an appearance on the Dari Nowkhah Show, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum shredded Riley for his recent shortcomings at USC.

“The thing that I’m most excited about at Big Ten media days is I want to hear Lincoln Riley try to explain his last two years because I can’t think of anybody whose coaching has been more fraudulent since his first year with Caleb Williams,” Finebaum said. “I say that as somebody who admired what Lincoln Riley did at OU. I didn’t admire the way he left.

“I know a lot of people are still gnashing teeth in Norman and Oklahoma City and across that state, but I frankly believe the Sooner Nation is better off today than it would have been had he stayed around because there is something wrong with this guy… I am underwhelmed and I can’t think of a coach, in modern time, who’s making the kind of money that he’s making who has done less.”

For a moment, Lincoln Riley was considered one of the best coaches in college football. After taking over at Oklahoma in 2017, he immediately led the team to a College Football Playoff appearance.

Riley didn’t stop there, guiding the Sooners to the CFP in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, as well. While Riley could never lead Oklahoma past the CFP semifinals, the program was a premier college football destination and Riley was viewed as arguably the best quarterback coach in the country.

In 2022, Riley moved on from the Sooners and joined USC. Quarterback Caleb Williams followed him from Oklahoma and won the Heisman Trophy in first year with the Trojans. Consequently, USC finished the season with an impressive 11-3 record and reached the Big Ten Championship.

Williams returned for the 2023 campaign and it looked like Riley was well on his way to building another powerhouse program. Instead, USC began to slowly decline.

USC posted an 8-5 overall record in 2023, along with a mediocre 5-4 mark in conference play. Williams didn’t have nearly as successful of a season. Things only got worse for Lincoln Riley and Co. last year after Williams moved onto the NFL.

USC went 7-6 and recorded its first losing record in conference play under Riley’s supervision. Making over $10 million a year, Riley is under pressure to turn USC’s fortune around this fall.

Yet, not everybody is convinced that Riley is capable of returning USC to its former heights. USA Today ranked USC No. 8 in its preseason Big Ten Rankings. On Aug. 30, USC will kick off its 2025 campaign with a showdown against Missouri State at 7:30 p.m. ET.