The USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley contract buyout is the highest-paid college football coach.
In 2024, Kirby Smart of Georgia, Lincoln Riley of USC, Steve Sarkisian of Texas, and Kalen DeBoer of Alabama are among the top ten highest-paid college football coaches. What’s Riley’s contract buyout at USC after a lackluster 2024 season?
On Friday, December 27, at 7:30 p.m. PT, ESPN will broadcast the 33rd SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl between the USC Trojans (6-6) and Texas A&M Aggies (8-4). Texas A&M and USC will play for the first time in 47 years, and the game will wrap up a dismal season for both schools.
In the third season under coach Lincoln Riley, USC ended the season with a 4-5 record. The 2024 season took a turn for the worse for USC following a thrilling victory against the LSU Tigers in Week 1. Nineteen players have chosen to enter the transfer portal, causing a huge exodus for the Trojans.
The Trojans have gone from 11-3 in 2022, 8-5 in 2023, and now 6-6 since Riley took over the USC program. Riley’s huge salary and the potential buyout are being questioned by many due to a losing pattern.
Riley startled the college football community in 2022 when he agreed to a 10-year, $110 million deal to become head coach of USC. Since USC is a private university, no one is aware of Riley’s acquisition. Nonetheless, according to 247Sports, the Trojans coach would earn $88 million if he were dismissed. After Kirby Smart of Georgia, that would be the second-highest total buyout.
Riley may have the worst contract in college football, earning the fourth-highest salary in 2024.
The UCF Knights reportedly asked Riley if he would be available in early December. In his National Signing Day press conference, Riley shut down any questions about him leaving USC.
“I tell them I’m a USC Trojan. I’m at the place I want to be. It’s a non-starter, it’s a non-issue. I’m home,” Riley said when asked what he tells other schools that might be interested in him.
Riley’s efforts to restore USC’s national prominence have not been as successful as anticipated, but hope remains. Riley has won four Big 12 conference titles, two College Football Playoff berths, and an overall 80-24 record as head coach.
Riley still has time to acquire top players through the transfer channel, and his class of 2025 USC recruits is ranked No. 13 in the nation.
In sequence to producing eight Heisman Trophy winners—the most in college football—USC has won eleven national titles. With Riley leading the Trojans, can they resume their winning ways?
Regaining the positive momentum would be aided by defeating Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl.
The Top 10 Most Expensive College Football Coaches in 2024: 1. Kirby Smart of Georgia, $13,282,580
2. Dabo Swinney, Clemson, $11,132,775
3. Steve Sarkisian of Texas ($10,600,000)
4. $10,043,418 at USC, Lincoln Riley.
5. Ryan Day, Ohio State, $10,021,250
6. Mike Norvell, Florida State: $10,000,000
7. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: $10,000,000
8. Brian Kelly of LSU, $9,975,000
9. Mark Stoops, Kentucky, $9,013,600
10. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss, $9,000,000
