Paul Finebaum: Deion Sanders is perfect HC replacement for blue-blood school

When the USC Trojans hired Lincoln Riley to be their next head coach, they likely expected better than a 19-8 record and 1-1 record in bowl games through his first two seasons, and that was with 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams as his quarterback.

If Riley doesn’t deliver in Year 3, he could be on the hot seat in in Los Angeles, and if he is, college football analyst Paul Finebaum believes he knows the perfect replacement. 

During a recent appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” Finebaum made the case that Colorado head coach Deion Sanders should be the Trojans’ next target if they do indeed part ways with Riley.

“Instead of harping on Lincoln Riley, I’ve come up with a solution,” Finebaum said. “…I believe the answer after this season is Deion Sanders. He’s going to be tired of Colorado because quite frankly, it’s not prime time. He’s done as well as he can with his son and Travis Hunter…but that’s going to dry up this year because they’re not going to be that great. But you put ‘Prime’ in Tinseltown, and I think you have one of the great combinations in history.”

Of the two coaches, Sanders’ personality is a much better fit for L.A., and his name value likely carries more weight on the recruiting trail.

Many pundits have made the case that Sanders is a big fish in need of a bigger pond. He’s done well to recruit and use the transfer portal and build a solid roster at Colorado. However, the ceiling for that program is much lower than it is at USC, which is why it would make sense if he looks to take over at a bigger school next season.

“I think Deion Sanders as the coach at Southern Cal is the answer to the problems,” Finebaum added. “Lincoln Riley is a good coach, he’s got a great resume — Deion Sanders just exudes exactly what that community is all about. He takes the recruiting there, which Lincoln had and then lost; I think he sustains it, especially now. … Can you imagine a year from today, Deion Sanders walks in to Big Ten media days and everybody else yells, ‘Get out of the way.’”