Lincoln Riley sends clear message whether he's staying or leaving at USC after 2025 season

Lincoln Riley sends clear message whether he's staying or leaving at USC after 2025 season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley finally addressed the elephant in the room: his future on the West Coast.

Riley's polarizing intensity isn't a secret: he wants to win. His team was likely on the brink of a College Football Playoff appearance had the Trojans not faltered against the Oregon Ducks this past Saturday.

Now, a quality bowl game is on the horizon for the Trojans. They finish the regular season with the UCLA Bruins, but before the final weeks wind down, Riley set the record straight during his media availability Tuesday.

“Oh yeah, 100%. Like I said before, I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” Riley told reporters. “So yeah, that’s, I think nothing other than what we’re building, literally, and I love being here. Yeah, that’s really the end of it.”

ESPN's Paul Finebaum said it would be a mistake if Riley stayed with the Trojans, suggesting he has maximized his potential.

“I’ve been particularly hard on him," Finebaum said on "The Matt Barrie Show." "Ultimately, that really hurts, because he’s not going to the playoff again."

Even without a playoff berth this year, there is value for Riley as a splash hire, according to Finebaum.

“SC fans don’t really get excited about, ‘Hey, we had a 9-3 season. We’re going to a good bowl game.’ ‘Oh, really, where’s that? And how many tickets will be eaten?’ So, I’ve argued here a couple of weeks in a row, I think Lincoln Riley ought to hightail it out of Southern Cal and see if he can get in one of these major coaching jobs," Finebaum said.

Whether Riley keeps his word remains to be seen. However, the proof is in the pudding, and in a few weeks, a lot will be clearer.

For now, finishing the season is critical.