Where did Lincoln Riley play college football? Exploring the USC HC's career as a player

Lincoln Riley has made a name for himself in college football since becoming Oklahoma's head coach in 2017. The Muleshoe, Texas native started his career as a student in college before serving as an assistant across two programs.

Riley led the Sooners to one of its most successful eras in college football, winning four consecutive Big 12 championships. He moved to USC after five years in charge at Norman and has made significant strides in returning the Trojans to championship-winning ways.

A brilliant coaching record at such a young age has led many to ask where the USC coach had his college football playing career. Lincoln Riley played college football at Texas Tech in 2002 before deciding to follow the coaching path.

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Where did Lincoln Riley play college football?

Lincoln Riley played football at high school football career in his hometown's premier school, the Muleshoe High School. He started his high school career as a defensive end but transitioned to the quarterback position for his junior and senior seasons.

Following his high school career, Riley could not secure a scholarship from any Division I college football program. He subsequently enrolled at Texas Tech University and joined the Raiders as a walk-on quarterback in 2002 under the guidance of Mike Leach.

Riley was a third-string quarterback in his freshman season with the Texas Tech Raiders. He was behind starter and future Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury and his backup B.J Symons in the pecking order. He never made it onto the field in his first season with the team.

However, despite his lack of game time, his potential to be a successful coach was evident, and he decided to go in that direction during his sophomore season at Texas Tech. Riley was given the opportunity to become a student assistant by Mike Leach in 2003. He subsequently went on to become a graduate assistant in the program.

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Riley's offensive scheme and ability to develop quarterback

Lincoln Riley learned the “air raid” offensive scheme, which the late Mike Leach popularized during his tenure as an assistant at Texas Tech. He went on to develop the system of play and adopted it during his time at Oklahoma as well as his current coaching job with USC.

Having played as a quarterback, Riley has mentored three Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks: Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams. He has also guided Jalen Hurts to finish second in the 2019 Heisman Trophy voting, finishing behind LSU’s Joe Burrow.