Lincoln Riley coaching career: Exploring USC's HC coaching history

Lincoln Riley is undoubtedly one of the top coaches in the world of college football over the last couple of years. The USC coach has worked his way up the coaching ladder over the years since starting his journey as a student assistant under Mike Leach while at Texas Tech.

So far in his college football coaching career, Riley has worked across four programs, leaving a significant footprint in all. He has notably made a name for himself in the landscape and he is believed to be one of the potential legendary coaches in the new generation.

Lincoln Riley's coaching history and record?

Lincoln Riley started his coaching career in college football as a student assistant at Texas Tech in 2003 before subsequently becoming a graduate assistant in 2006 after obtaining his college degree. He was promoted to Raiders' wide receiver coach in 2007 by Mike Leach.

He moved on to East Carolina in 2010 where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for five years under Rufin McNeil. Riley was later hired by Bob Stoops as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in 2015 and was in the role until 2016.

Following Bob Stoops' retirement in 2017, Riley was promoted to head coach at Oklahoma and led the program to one of its most successful tenures. He left the Sooners in 2021 to join Pac-12 powerhouse USC. Riley is currently in his second year as the Trojans' head coach.

So far, Lincoln Riley has an impressive 70-13 record as a head coach in college football. However, his performance in postseason bowl games hasn't been so well with a 1-4 record. Also, he is yet to win a game at the College Football Playoffs with a 0-3 record.

How many conference championships does Lincoln Riley have?

Lincoln Riley had an instant impact on the Sooners as soon as he became the head coach in 2017. He went on to lead the program to an unprecedented four consecutive Big 12 championships from 2017 to 2020. He only missed out in 2021 during his five-year tenure.

Notably, Riley reached the Pac-12 championship game in his first season with USC. However, the Trojans unexpectedly lost the game to the Utah Utes.

How many Heisman winners have Lincoln Riley coached?

Renowned for his "air raid" offensive system and ability to develop quarterback, Riley has mentored three signal-callers to win the Heisman Trophy. In his first season at Oklahoma, Baker Mayfield was the recipient of the award while Kyler Murray won it in his second season.

Also, in his first season at USC, Caleb Williams won the award to become the third recipient under Riley. Notably, Jalen Hurts finished second in the voting in 2019, behind LSU's Joe Burrow.