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Joel Klatt Names Major College Football Coach Who Has Been 'Incredibly Underwhelming'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Jun 12, 2025 6:00 PM ET

Before the 2022 college football season, several prominent programs were looking for new head coaches. Teams such as the USC Trojans, Oklahoma Sooners, LSU Tigers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Oregon Ducks and Miami Hurricanes all made new coaching hires.

One of the most notable names to take on one of these roles was Lincoln Riley, who left Oklahoma to become the head coach at USC. During his five seasons at Oklahoma, Riley achieved a record of 55-10. He won four consecutive Big 12 championships and led the team to three straight College Football Playoff appearances.

Upon Riley taking over at USC, many believed he could restore the Trojans to their former glory. In his first season, he guided the team to an 11-3 record and a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

However, the following seasons have been a challenge. USC finished with an 8-5 record in 2023, despite being ranked No. 6 in the preseason, and ended the subsequent season with a 7-6 record.

Fox Sports' Joel Klatt discussed the mounting pressure on Riley heading into the 2025 season on the podcast "The Joel Klatt Show."

"Lincoln Riley is firmly in the category of is this going to work?" Klatt said. "Last year was incredibly underwhelming. Riley's tenure started off gangbusters. But he's coming off these two underwhelming seasons. I will say, they had a good finish last year. I do think there are some things to get excited about."

Lincoln Riley and Brent Venables are in the same boat.

Now, @joelklatt wonders if this is going to work for either one of them. pic.twitter.com/RK6j1oBFrS
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) June 11, 2025

Klatt mentioned that when Riley was hired, it was widely regarded as a home run hire, and he personally agrees. He still believes it was an exceptional choice because he considers Riley to be an elite coach.

However, Klatt thinks the pressure will significantly increase starting in 2025, particularly with the road game against the Illinois Fighting Illini in September. Other important games for Riley include road matches against the Michigan Wolverines, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Klatt expressed that if USC loses to Illinois, he lacks confidence in the team's chances of winning against those three other opponents. He worries that such a loss could lead USC to another 7-5 record during the regular season, and he believes Riley cannot endure that.

Additionally, it's worth noting that if USC decides to part ways with Riley, his buyout is set at $90 million, which would be the highest buyout in college football history, surpassing Jimbo Fisher's $77.5 million buyout at Texas A&M.

The Trojans will open their season against the Missouri State Bears at 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 30.

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

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