USC HC Lincoln Riley calls for induction of former Texas Tech HC Mike Leach in College Football Hall of Fame: “He absolutely deserves to be in”

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley was a reserve quarterback when he played under Mike Leach at the Texas Tech. Although his playing career was cut short, he joined Leach's coaching staff at the Red Raiders from 2003 to 2009.

He learned everything about the late coach's air raid offensive tackle and other techniques. Soon Riley became a bright, young coach and eventually a star in the college football world.

Therefore, when the chatter around the eligibility of Mike Leach's induction into the College Football Hall of Fame started, Lincoln Riley came out with a stern statement.

There's a technical rule that coaches who have won 60% of their games can be inducted into the CFB Hall of Fame. Disagreeing with the technicality, the Trojans HC wrote:

“Mike Leach impacted the game in a way few ever will….he absolutely deserves to be in…honestly tough to imagine the College Football HOF without him.”

As a part of Leach's team, Lincoln Riley also learned to take on the role of a student assistant, graduate assistant and wide receiver coach.

Mike Leach, who was also known as 'The Pirate,' was also the coach at Washington State and Mississippi State. He ended his career with a 158-107 record.

He helped teams climb up to the top of their conferences. When he died in 2022 because of a heart attack, the Mississippi State Bulldogs paid a heartfelt tribute to him by wearing a pirate flag logo last season.

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Lincoln Riley welcomed QB Julian Lewis to the team

With all the qualities Lincoln Riley imbibed from Leach, he has started to restructure his roster.

Caleb Williams, the former USC Trojans QB, was selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. Hence, many fans expect him to build another QB of the same caliber.

The coach and the five-star QB posed for a snap together, with the caption:

"Let us cook. 🍳"

When Lewis was asked if Lincoln Riley was fine with him taking visits to other colleges, he said:

"Yeah, no, he is. I've talked to him about it and stuff like that, but we told him from the start that we're locked in.

"When I committed, I told him I was like, 'This is where I want to go and California is where I want to be'."

Although Lewis has not officially committed to the Trojans, it's highly likely that Riley wants to get the rising star QB on his roster.