USC Trojans Culture Under Lincoln Riley: Where Do College Football Analysts Stand?

Coach Lincoln Riley is in his fourth season leading the Trojans and currently holds a 27-14 record as head coach. While the record may nor reflect the hype around Riley's talent, the 73-13 Week 1 win over Missouri State may speak for itself.

USC found their footing towards the end of last season, finishing 3-1 with quarterback Jayden Maiava at the helm beating Nebraska, UCLA and Texas A&M to finish out the season strong. The former Oklahoma coach accepted the Trojans job in 2021, with the expectation of developing an elite USC program with a championship standard.

Cowherd shared his thoughts on how Riley could build a culture within the program, but only views him as a good coach.

"I don't know if Lincoln Riley can create a culture. I know he can coach. I mean, he 12 wins, 11 wins, nine wins, 11 wins at Oklahoma," Cowherd said on an episode of The Herd. "When he took over USC, they had about 30 guys that could play at USC and very few were good. Their best players were Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison and then they were coming from other programs, but I don't know if he's a culture builder."

His impressive 11-3 debut in 2022 instilled hope in many fans, but the next two seasons would not compare. USC finished 8-5 in 2023 and 7-6 last season. Riley faced an offseason of doubt and criticism with how he's handeld the program, but seemed to get it together with time.

The intention is also to not repeat last season's mistakes, when their five losses by one-score cost them chance to compete for a Big Ten title, or even a College Football Playoff appearance.

What Cowherd emphasized was the Trojans inability to close out games, with minimal fourth-quarter success in dire game situations.

"They led in almost every football game. They couldn't close games out. And closing games out is fundamentally about physicality," Cowherd said. "It's a seven-minute drive. Winning games comes in a variety of forms. Closing games out when you lead is physical football. Three first downs, close it down. They couldn't do it."

USC Back to Dominating Southern California Recruiting

The Trojans hold the No. 1 2026 recruiting class in the country per Rivals, standing above powerhouse programs like Georgia, Ohio State and Texas.

One impactful shift that Riley and general manager Chad Bowden implemented was recruiting out of Southern California, the best start for an elite Trojans recruiting class.

Since, USC compiled a class of two five-star recruits and 20 four-star. A class like this one will help USC win National Championships and conference titles, just like the Trojans used to do.

Pate took note of Bowden and Riley's combined efforts to create a No. 1 class, and how reverting back to heavy Southern California recruiting is a must.

"One piece that they did is when they went and got Chad Bowden, the GM from Notre Dame, they were gonna take instate recruiting seriously, that was going to get turned up," Pate said on an episode of the Herd. "I’ve asked Chad about this, I've asked him, do you talk about like locking down the city, locking down the state? He said yes."

While the main focus is on the 2025 USC Trojans team and their performance, a No. 1 ranking for the 2026 recruiting class is a glimpse into restoring an elite west coast football program under Riley's leadership.