“I would’ve fired Lincoln Riley”: Paul Finebaum takes bold jabs at USC HC following unsuccessful 2023 season

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum recently took aim at USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley after a lackluster 2023 season. Riley's time at USC has been underwhelming, with a 19-8 record and no Pac-12 titles or College Football Playoff appearances.

Finebaum believes Deion Sanders could be a perfect fit for USC, given his charisma and Los Angeles' appeal. With Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams now in the NFL, USC is missing a key player.

On "ESPN College Football," Finebaum didn’t hold back, criticizing Riley’s performance and defensive strategies.

“I thought last year was one of the worst coaching jobs I have ever seen, quite frankly,” Finebaum said. “Had I been the athletic director at Southern Cal, I would have fired Lincoln Riley because he's yet to show, after many years as a head coach, he knows anything about defense.

"He's gone through defensive coordinators; he just simply couldn't handle it, and now things are going to be five times worse in the Big 10.” [Timespan: 00:31]

Finebaum pointed out that several top players are leaving USC, further complicating Riley’s situation.

“This is a guy who owned LA for about a half a minute, and quite frankly, next year at this time,” Finebaum said. “I think he'll more than likely be an assistant in the NFL if he's that lucky.”

Finebaum proposed Deion Sanders as a potential new head coach for USC.

“I thought about this the other day, ‘Okay, maybe he [Riley] does well, maybe he doesn't,’ but the answer is really moving forward, and I believe the answer after this season is Deion Sanders,” Finebaum said. “He's going to be tired of Colorado because, quite frankly, it's not prime time.

“He done well, as well as he can, with his son [Shedeur] and Travis Hunter and all the Steven A's and Shannon Sharpe appearances, but that's going to dry up this year because they're not going to be that great,” Finebaum said. “But you put Prime in town, and I think you have one of the great combinations in history.”

Paul Finebaum's suggestion that Sanders could reinvigorate USC has sparked speculation among college football insiders.

Can Lincoln Riley survive at USC?

Southern California Trojans football coach Riley watches in the first half of the basketball game against the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center.

Lincoln Riley has been a standout coach for seven seasons, developing three of the last seven Heisman Trophy winners. With an impressive 80% winning record and three College Football Playoff appearances, his track record speaks volumes. But will USC let him go in 2024?

"I don't think Lincoln Riley has a path back," Paul Finebaum said on WJOX in Birmingham. "It's not a matter of wishing him bad luck out there. That's already happening. And if you look at the reality, the number of players that are bailing on Lincoln Riley in Southern California is startling."

"I've always thought he was a good coach, especially on the offensive side,” Finebaum added. “But I don't think anybody today views him in that same realm. And quite frankly, I think he'll be out of Southern California at the end of the season."

The Trojans' struggles to stop opponents have cost them what seemed like a guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoff.