Lincoln Riley's Accolades
Lincoln Riley is one of the nation’s most successful coaches. He’s had more success by the age of 40 than any other head coach in college football history.Riley has been a head coach for 7 seasons and has developed 3 of the last 7 Heisman Trophy winners. Riley is the only head coach to coach 3 Heisman winning quarterbacks, as well as the only coach to have 3 players selected No. 1 overall in the NFL’s common draft era.From coaching 3 Heisman Trophy winners, to having an 80 percent winning record, to appearing in 3 College Football Playoffs, Lincoln Riley’s coaching achievements set a standard of excellence.
And didn’t take long for Riley to implement that standard at USC. In his first season as USC’s head coach in 2022,the 39-year-old led the Trojans tohave equaled the biggest one-season victory turnaround (+7 victories) in USC history (USC’s 1962 national champs won 11 games after winning just 4 in 1961). Last season, Troy won 4 games and in 2022, it had 11 victories. Riley tied the record for most victories by a first-year head coach (tied with John Robinson in 1976. This also ties the Pac-12 record). Riley’s Trojans went 11-3 in 2022 to bring USC back to the top of the college football landscape. USC went undefeated in the Coliseum (7-0), doing so for the first time since 2017. Riley guided the Trojans to a Pac-12 Championship appearance and to a Cotton Bowl appearance. In Riley’s electric offense, USC scored 579 points in 2022 compared to just 344 points scored in 2021. The Trojans finished the season nationally ranked No. 1 in turnover margin (1.57), No. 1 in turnovers lost (7), No. 1 in fumbles lost (2). No. 2 in 3rddown conversion percentage (0.536), No. 2 in passes had intercepted (5), No. 3 in first downs offense (359),No. 3 in passes intercepted (19), No. 3 in passing offense (335.4), No. 3 in scoring offense (41.4), No. 3 in team passing efficiency (169.20), No. 3 in total offense (506.6) and No. 5 in turnovers gained (29).
Riley’s 2022 Trojans broke six USC records. The 2022 team now holds the USC record for most yards passing in a single season (4,696 yards in 14 games), most passes attempted in a single season (515), most touchdown passes in a single season (43), lowest percentage of passes had intercepted (0.97%, 5 in 515 attempts), most games scoring 30+ points (12) and most games scoring 40+ points (10). They also tie the USC single-game record for most touchdowns on interception returns (3 vs. Rice).
Under Riley’s tutelage in 2022, quarterback Caleb Williams was namedthe 88threcipient of the Heisman Trophy.In addition to winning college football’s most prestigious award, Williams also was named the2022 Walter Camp Player of the Year, the 2022 AP Player of the Year, the 2022 Maxwell Award winner, the 2022Sporting News College Football Player of the Year, the 2022CBS Sports Player of the Year, the 2022 Action Sports Player of the Year, the 2022 CFPA National Performer of the Year and the 2022 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.Defensive linemanTuli Tuipulotu was the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, the defensive Morris Trophy winner and was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Rotary Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Ted Hendricks Award, and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Both Tuipulotu and Williams were Unanimous First Team All-Americans, USC’s first since 2012. Offensive linemen Brett Neilon and Andrew Vorhees and defensive back Calen Bullock were also named First Team All-Americans. Riley’s5 First Team All-Americans werethe most in a single season since 2007 when USC also had 5 first teamers.Jordan Addison, Mekhi Blackmon, Tuli Tuipulotu, Andrew Vorhees, Caleb Williams were all selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team, and Vorhees was the offensive recipient of the Morris Trophy.Four of his Trojans (Addison, Tuipulotu, Blackmon and Vorhees) were drafted in 2022. Riley was a finalist for the 2022 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. He threw out the first pitch at a Dodgers game in May of 2022.
His 2023 Trojans went 8-5 and 5-4 in Pac-12 play. Riley’s high-powered brand of offense, led by defending Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Caleb Williams, put up points all season resulting in USC ranking No. 3 in the nation in scoring offense (41.8), No. 3 in team passing efficiency (170.88), No. 5 in passing offense (333.0) and No. 10 in total offense (467.6). Williams ranked in the national Top 20 in points responsible for per game, points responsible for, passing efficiency, passing yards per game, passing touchdowns, yards per pass attempt, total offense, passing yards, completion percentage, passing yards per completion and completions per game. He was a finalist for the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Williams was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.In addition to being the only head coach to tutor three Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks, Rileynow holds the record for most quarterbacks coached who have been selected at No. 1 all-time (Baker Mayfield in 2018, Kyler Murray in 2019 and Williams in 2024). In seven years as a head coach, Riley is now also tied for the most No. 1 overall draft selections coached at any position with Georgia's Wally Butts (Frank Sinkwich in 1943, Charley Trippi in 1945 and Harry Babco*ck in 1953) who coached the Bulldogs from 1939 to 1960.
Also in 2023, freshman wide receiver and electric return specialist Zachariah Branch was namedUSC's first-ever true freshman First Team All-American for his special teams efforts. Branch also won the Jet Award presented annually to the nation's most outstanding return specialist. He was the first Trojan since Adoree' Jackson in 2016 to have a punt return and kickoff return for a TD, as well as at least one receiving TD in the same season. Jackson had 2 punt returns and 2 kickoff returns for TDs and 1 TD reception during the 2016 season.Since 1971 (when records are available) Branch is one of just 3 USC players to accomplish the feat, joining Jackson and Curtis Conway (1992 – 1 kickoff return TD, 1 punt return TD, 5 rec TDs).The Trojans wrapped up the season on a high-note with a thrilling Holiday Bowl victory as quarterback Miller Moss stepped in leading the Trojans to defeat No. 16 Louisville 42-28. Moss, the Holiday Bowl Offensive MVP, threw6 touchdown passes setting the record for most touchdown passes thrown in a Holiday Bowl, most touchdown passes thrown in a USC bowl game, most touchdown passes thrown by a USC QB is his first Trojan start and tied the Pac-12 Bowl Game passing touchdown record.Wide receiver Tahj Washington also amassed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. S Calen Bullock and RET Zachriah Branch were named to the All-Pac-12 First Team.Seven total Trojans (Williams, Washington, Calen Bullock, MarShawn Lloyd, Jarrett Kingston, Brenden Rice and Solomon Byrd) were drafted in 2024, marking the most USC players drafted since 2011.
Riley was hired by USC on Nov. 28, 2021. He arrived after serving as the head coach at Oklahoma, winning 85 percent of his games in five seasons there and led the Sooners to four Big 12 titles and four New Year’s Six bowls with three College Football Playoff appearances.
Riley posted a 55-10 overall record in his five years (2017-21) at Oklahoma for an impressive .846 winning percentage. His Sooners were 37-7 (.841) in league play and won Big 12 championships in his first four years there as he became the first person to win outright Football Bowl Subdivision conference crowns in each of his first four seasons as a collegiate head coach. He set Oklahoma records for most victories in his first two (24), three (36) and four (45) seasons, breaking marks held by Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops.
After serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for two of the most prolific offenses in OU’s history, Riley took over as the Sooners’ head coach in 2017 when Stoops retired. He was the youngest FBS head coach (33) at the time of his hiring. He also coached the OU quarterbacks and called the offensive plays while serving as head coach, running a balanced offensive attack.
Riley led his initial Oklahoma squad to a 12-2 overall record in 2017, becoming just the fifth FBS coach with no previous head coaching experience at a four-year college to win at least 12 games in his debut season. The Sooners won the Big 12 title by going 8-1, played in the CFP semifinal in the Rose Bowl and finished third in the final AP poll. Quarterback Baker Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy that season, along with the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien, Manning, Walter Camp Player of the Year and AP Player of the Year Awards, and was the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Tight end Mark Andrews won the 2017 Mackey Award.
Oklahoma was again 12-2 overall and 8-1 while winning the Big 12 championships in 2018 and 2019. He was the Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year in 2018. Quarterback Kyler Murray won the 2018 Heisman Trophy, O’Brien Award and Manning Award, was the AP Player of the Year and was the No. 1 selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, while quarterback Jalen Hurts was the Heisman runner-up in 2019. The Sooners appeared in the Orange Bowl in 2018 and Peach Bowl in 2019, both CFP semifinals. OU was fourth in the final AP poll in 2018 and seventh in 2019.
In the COVID-impacted 2020 season, Oklahoma went 9-2 overall, won the Big 12 at 6-2, beat Florida in the Cotton Bowl and was sixth in the final AP poll.
In 2021, the Sooners were 10-2 in the just-completed regular season, tied for second in the Big 12 standings at 7-2 and are ranked 13th by AP.
Riley spent 2015 and 2016 as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach in 2015 when his offense ranked seventh nationally in total offense. In 2016, receiver Dede Westbrook won the Biletnikoff Award and was fourth in the Heisman voting, while running back Joe Mixon set the OU season all-purpose yardage record (2,331 yards) and fellow running back Samaje Perine set the school career rushing mark (4,122 yards).
Riley came to Oklahoma after five seasons (2010-14) as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at East Carolina. He added the title of assistant head coach in 2014. The Pirates, running a spread offensive scheme, set more than 50 team and individual school offensive records during his time there. His squads had the top five passing seasons in school history and top four total offense marks. In 2014, ECU set a school season mark with 6,929 yards of total offense. East Carolina appeared in the national Top 10 in such categories as passing and scoring offense, third down conversion percentage and red zone scoring efficiency.
His Pirate wide receivers Justin Hardy and Zay Jones became the most productive pass catchers in FBS history. Hardy caught an NCAA record 387 career passes for 4,541 yards (including a trio of 1,000-yard seasons). Jones, who Riley coached for the first two years of his career, went on to break Hardy’s mark with 399 career receptions.
East Carolina quarterback Dominique Davis was the 2010 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year and set school records for career completions and TD passes. He completed an NCAA record 36 consecutive passes in 2011. He was succeeded by Shane Carden, who broke many of Davis’ record. Carden set ECU season marks for passing yards (4,736 in 2014) and completion percentage (.705 in 2013) and was the Conference USA MVP in 2013 followed by the American Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2014.
Riley was on the football and track teams at Muleshoe (Tex.) High, a West Texas town of 5,000. He was a walk-on quarterback at Texas Tech in the spring and summer of 2003 before starting his coaching career as a student assistant there under head coach Mike Leach for three seasons (2003-05), working with the offense.
He became an offensive graduate assistant at Texas Tech in 2006, then joined the Red Raiders’ fulltime staff as the wide receivers coach in 2007 and the inside wide receivers coach in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, he called plays as the interim offensive coordinator in the Alamo Bowl, producing 579 yards of offense. His wide receiver Michael Crabtree won the 2007 Biletnikoff Award while establishing Big 12 and NCAA freshman records with 134 receptions for 1,962 yards, while fellow wideout Danny Amendola also had a 100-catch, 1,000-yard season in 2007. The Red Raiders played in a bowl in each of his seven seasons and Tech quarterbacks won NCAA passing titles in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007.
Riley received his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science from Texas Tech in 2006.
He was born on Sept. 5, 1983, in Lubbock, Tex. He and his wife, Caitlin, have two daughters, Sloan and Stella. His younger brother, Garrett, is the offensive coordinator at Clemson after previously coaching at TCU (where he helped coach the Horned Frogs to the 2022 National Championship game),SMU, Appalachian State, Kansas, East Carolina andAugustanaCollege and playing quarterback at Texas Tech and Stephen F. Austin.
