Central Florida is considering huge with its curiosity in USC head coach Lincoln Riley. That the middle-tier faculty soccer program even believes it has an opportunity at touchdown Riley reveals how far the USC coach has fallen.
Riley was arguably probably the most in-demand teaching candidate in 2022 when each LSU and USC tried to lure him from Oklahoma, the place he went 55-10 in 5 seasons and coached Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.
He rejected LSU’s supply and landed with the Trojans, the place he is underperformed lofty expectations.
After going 11-3 in his first season at USC, Riley is 14-11 since 2023, together with 6-6 in 2024, the Trojans’ first season within the Massive Ten.
Per The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Antonio Morales and Ralph Russo, “There was no indication Riley is curious about making the transfer” to UCF, though the school soccer insiders laid out why a step down from USC to UCF may make sense for Riley.
Feldman, Morales and Russo word that former USC athletic director Mike Bohn, who was fired in 2023, and president Carol Folt, who will retire in summer time 2025, have been instrumental in poaching Riley from Oklahoma.
Present athletic director Jen Cohen, they write, is “within the unenviable place of getting an underperforming soccer program however a coach who is simply too costly to maneuver on from.”
UCF simply accomplished its second season within the Massive 12. For the reason that begin of 2023, it’s 10-15 general and 5-13 within the Massive 12.
Feldman, Morales and Russo report this system will solely obtain a fraction of Massive 12 income for the 2024-25 fiscal yr earlier than incomes a full income share starting in 2025-26.
It might be stunning if Riley leaves USC, a prestigious soccer program with 9 nationwide championships and eight Heisman winners, for one whose greatest declare to fame is an embarrassing “national championship” parade in 2017 regardless of not profitable the nationwide championship.
UCF’s curiosity could possibly be a wake-up name for Riley. His star has diminished a lot since touchdown in Los Angeles that UCF thinks it is in his league.
