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Lincoln Riley has suggested that USC does not have as much money as folks believe.
The Trojans head coach has said that the program is still playing catch up where NIL money, facilities, and resources are concerned, though they are coming along well enough.
Riley is headed into his third season as USC head coach, with training camp to begin in August. The team endured a disappointing 8-5 last season, having gone 11-3 in the previous campaign, with Caleb Williams winning the Heisman Trophy.
The Trojans might find next season even more complicated, given that they’ve moved to the Big Ten following the Pac-12 shutting down. It will be the first season in Riley’s coaching career where he isn’t tipped to win his conference.
Even so, the expectations won’t wane. The way fans see it, the Trojans are supposed to win football games no matter what.
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Lincoln Riley Says USC Doesn’t Have Enough Money To Push Them Where They Need To Go
Speaking at Big Ten Media Days, Lincoln Riley noted that the program is “coming quickly” after being let down for years.
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“The roster continues to get better and better,” he said, per On3. “NIL continues to get better and better. Our staff continues to get better and better. New facilities coming. Like, it can’t ever get here soon enough, but the momentum is undeniable; the progress is undeniable from what we took over two years ago.”
Riley insists the Trojans still don’t have the money they need, however.
“We took over something two years ago where there was no NIL. People have got to understand that our starting point was zero, was nothing. To have to rebuild that, to have to get that started has been a big undertaking. But I would venture to guess that we’ve had just as much growth in NIL over the past 12 months or more than maybe any program in college football,” he added.
“We are playing catch up. We’re playing catch up in facilities. We’re playing catch up in NIL. We’re playing catch up in resources within the program. We’ve been playing catch up in damn near every way you can think.”
The Trojans don’t have a friendly schedule either. But, while Riley isn’t likely to lose his job next season, or even the one after that, he should be well aware that he won’t be able to make that excuse for too long.
Some fans comment:
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