Lincoln Riley promised during his introductory press conference Monday that USC will become the “Mecca of college football.”
“I can promise you that you’re going to get the best out of myself, you’re going to get the best out of our staff, out of our players, and we’re going to put something on that field that you’re proud of,” Riley said.
“This place is going to be full, this is going to be the Mecca of college football.”
That mecca quote raised some eyebrows within the players of the team he just left, because they actually heard him say it before to them.
Defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas called out Riley on Instagram, saying, “told us that last week.”
Linebacker Nik Bonitto also replied to the post with a comment. He said “LOL.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NCAA stories via Google! Follow Us
Riley explained that the process “came together quickly” when he learned about the Trojans’ interest late Saturday night before hopping onto a video call with the school Sunday morning.
The 38-year-old got emotional when thanking his former program, calling the departure “the toughest decision” of his life, according to Adam Grosbard of The O.C. Register.
“Everything (about USC) intrigued me,” Riley said. “The location, the history of the program, the opportunities here to recruit and build a national championship roster, the opportunity for my family to live in a new place, to experience new things.
“We’re not scared to take a jump. This was the right time. Everything about it makes sense,” Riley added.
Riley collected four Big 12 championships while posting a 55-10 record. He will now be tasked with returning the Trojans to prominence, which ahsn’t won a Pac-12 title since 2017 and fired Clay Helton two games into the 2021 campaign.
