Lincoln Riley makes passionate case for former USC coach Pete Carroll to be in College Football Hall of Fame

For the second consecutive season, USC head coach Lincoln Riley made his case for a former college football head coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Last year, Riley and other coaches advocated for the induction of former Texas Tech/Washington State/Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach into the Hall of Fame. The Hall’s previous requirement for induction was a 60% winning percentage, and Leach came in right at 59.8%.

The campaigning worked, as the College Football Hall of Fame announced that it will lower its win percentage requirement for entry from 60% to 59.5% in 2027. That will make “The Pirate” eligible for induction.

“I first wanted to say last year at this event in Indianapolis, I spoke on (myself and many others) spoke on Mike Leach’s candidacy for the [College Football] Hall of Fame,” Riley said Thursday. “At that point, I know a lot of us expressed that some people’s impact on college football goes beyond maybe any prerequisites for an honor like the Hall of Fame. I know a lot of [the media] covered that and wrote stories and reported on that and obviously that was very, very successful.”

Riley advocates for Pete Carroll’s induction; another tweak of rules

Along with celebrating Leach’s future induction, Riley advocated for former USC head coach Pete Carroll to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as well. Carroll led the Trojans to a 97-19 record over nine seasons with back-to-back National Championships in 2003 and 2004. In order to be inducted into the Hall however, a coach must coach 10 seasons. Carroll coached nine before departing to the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks.

“I also would like to stay in that lane and really advocate for the candidacy of Pete Carroll into the College Football Hall of Fame,” Riley continued. “I know he’s one year short on the requirement but it’s hard to imagine a guy that’s had an impact like coach Carroll had on college football. It’s difficult for my colleagues and I to imagine a Hall of Fame that exists without him and his impact.”

“I don’t come to you as the head coach at USC just solely for that reason, but as a fan of college football and somebody that watched coach Carroll’s teams and the way he interacted with his players and the way he impacted our sport. Just something I believe is the right thing to do and it would be great for our game.”

Carroll coached 14 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, where he won a Super Bowl in 2013 and led the ‘Hawks to a combined 137-89 record. After announcing his retirement following the 2023 season, he is coming out of retirement to coach the Las Vegas Raiders this season.