Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.Adrian MedinaWed, November 26, 2025 at 3:46 AM UTC·2 min readLOS ANGELES, CA -- With the head coach rumour mill on full swing these last couple of weeks, USC's own Lincoln Riley found himself in those rumoured talks of potentially leaving the helm for the Trojans after four years of service, but Riley made it clear after Tuesday's USC practice where he intends to be come 2026.
When asked if Riley intends to be the head coach for the USC Trojans in 2026, he replied with zero hesitation.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"100%. Like I said before, I'm right where I'm supposed to be," Riley said to the media.
There you have it, if it hasn't been made clear enough, Lincoln Riley will be the USC Trojans Football Head Coach for the foreseeable future.
Along with confirming his job status for 2026, Riley also put a lot of emphasis on the future of the USC football program, especially concerning the current and future quarterbacks of the team thinking of transferring.
"For any player, especially quarterback, I don't think that this is the right time to leave this place; this thing is getting pretty good," Riley said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThings are looking really good for the future of USC, as they have secured the No.1 recruiting class for 2026 with multiple five-star talents. Along with the No.1 recruiting class, the culture that has been developed throughout the 2025 season has morphed into a substance that every member of the Trojans can grasp onto, scholarship players or not.
"We try to treat everyone the same," Riley said when asked how the culture has sparked opportunities for growth and success within the team. "Opportunities, how we coach them, what we demand of them, just how they're treated on a daily basis. Once you come in the walls, if you're one of us, you're one of us, and how you got here, whether you're walk-on or scholarship, really becomes irrelevant at this point."
So, with the last week of the 2025 season upon us, the Trojans have one more hurdle to jump over before they can begin thinking about their exciting future in 2026 with a cross-town rivalry matchup against the UCLA Bruins.
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