WATCH: Lincoln Riley addresses crowd at USC basketball game
The USC Trojans made the coaching hire of the offseason, pulling Lincoln Riley away from the Oklahoma Sooners. His time with the Trojans has already gotten off to a hot start, pulling in some of the top recruits in the country.
However, the head coach is there to do more than just recruit. During USC’s basketball game against the Long Beach State 49ers, Riley addressed the crowd. He said the goal is to win national championships in Los Angeles and is excited about the fall.
“It’s an honor to be down here in Southern California and part of the Trojan Family,” Riley said. “We came here for one reason and that’s to win championships at USC. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, it’s going to take everybody that cares about USC and USC football to get that done. We promise you that we’re going to do our part. We can’t wait to fill the Coliseum this fall and we’ll see you then. Fight On.”
Lincoln Riley retains Donte Williams
USC interim head coach Donte Williams will no longer be at the helm of the program, as the Trojans recently brought in Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, but the Trojans are expected to retain Williams as a part of Riley’s staff, according to a report from WeAreSC’s Erik McKinney.
Williams’ fate at USC has largely been overshadowed in the past several weeks due to the Trojans making one of the biggest head coach hirings in recent memory. USC managed to scoop up Riley just a day after the Oklahoma Sooners lost to Oklahoma State during rivalry week; Riley amassed a 55-10 overall record and a 37-7 mark in conference play at Oklahoma, leading the Sooners to four College Football Playoff appearances. However, Williams’ future became a bit more clear on Sunday, as McKinney reported that “Williams is on campus and recruiting as part of USC’s big official visit weekend heading into Wednesday’s early signing day.”