Urban Meyer Names ‘One Of The Top Five’ College Jobs Without Hesitation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 7:07 AM ET

The 2025 college football season is still a ways out. And, with the summer here, it is going to be a couple of months until the Week 0 conversation picks up.

There are some big changes with some key players leaving for the NFL and the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes losing a flurry of players to the league. Notre Dame, which lost to Ohio State in the CFP Championship, also saw a ton of departures.

One team to monitor is the USC Trojans. However, the Trojans have not lived up to the hype since Lincoln Riley was hired as the head coach. In his first three seasons at USC, Riley has gone 26-14 but has not won a Big Ten or Pac-12 title despite having Caleb Williams at QB for two seasons.

Recently, Urban Meyer talked with Colin Cowherd about the USC situation, and he didn't hesitate to call it a top-five job in the country.

"The way I always looked at USC is I equate them to Ohio State, Alabama, Texas and Florida," Meyer said. "I've also looked at USC as one of the top five jobs in America, so I've got a lot of respect for Lincoln Riley...I promised myself I'd never call for jobs."

"However, when seven, eight wins is acceptable at USC, I don't know, I don't agree with that," Meyer said.

"Go 8-5 at Ohio State and see what happens."

More from Urban Meyer and Colin Cowherd on Lincoln Riley at USC. pic.twitter.com/cZKDlTrQsO
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) June 11, 2025

It's hard to argue that point. USC has been a powerhouse for a long time, and they have always been an attractive destination for top recruits.

Now, they are also a top destination for transfer players, but winning seven or eight games is not acceptable, at least from Meyer's perspective.

In 2024, USC went 7-6 and ended with a Las Vegas Bowl win, but the former Ohio State head coach believes there is more to be desired from the Trojans and Riley, especially given the stature of that job.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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