Lincoln Riley crushed one specific reason to doubt him when he entered USC
One year ago, there were a lot more doubts and uncertainties about Lincoln Riley than there are now. It’s interesting to look back 13 months to June of 2022, when we sat down with Oklahoma analyst Kegan Reneau for our Riley Files podcast series.
One specific concern entering the 2022 season at USC was put to bed by Riley.
Reneau said back then (in June of 2022):
“There was a foot out the door dynamic,” Reneau began. “Think Gary Andersen of Wisconsin and the 2014 Big Ten title game against Ohio State. He was already pretty much out the door to Oregon State. We can obviously look at Lincoln Riley not being fully invested as part of why the OU offense was so mediocre in Bedlam (the Oklahoma State season finale for the Sooners in 2021), but what, if anything, do we take from Caleb Williams’ performance in that (Oklahoma State) game and how he processed plays and where he was in his evolution? How much do we assume that he has evolved and made the right adjustments from that Bedlam game, from that leaving-off point under Lincoln Riley in 2021? There was the Alamo Bowl, but Riley was not part of that game against Oregon.
“How much should we assume in Caleb Williams’ evolution heading into 2022? What are the things we need to look for from Caleb Williams on the field in the first month of the 2022 season to make sure that his evolutionary arc is going the way it needs to be at USC?”
The idea that Riley’s lack of focus late in his Oklahoma tenure was a red flag or a warning sign about his USC tenure has been crushed. That idea has no more relevance or weight. It has been buried for good.
