USC football news: Lincoln Riley has 1 regret from slow start to Trojans tenure

USC football has been trying to find ways to get back to the top of college football for most of the last 20 years, but the Trojans just haven’t been able to get the job done. Lincoln Riley will be entering his fifth season as the head coach in 2026, and he has zero College Football Playoff appearances to show for it in that time.

Now, USC is entering the 2026 season with high expectations after showing a ton of improvement last year on both sides of the ball. With Riley on the brink of finally cracking the postseason bracket with a chance at a national title, he talked about his biggest regret from the beginning of his USC tenure that cost the Trojans a chance at being competitive, via Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports.

“The biggest thing that probably affected our timeline was that we went all in to try to really push in Year 2,” Riley said. “And we missed some key guys in that portal. If you miss, not only does it affect you that year, then that’s also a group of high school kids that you didn’t take. You aren’t developing.”

Riley and the Trojans were just a game away from making it to the four-team CFP in his first season, with Caleb Williams as the Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. With Williams coming back in 2023, it was understandable for the Trojans to go all-in, but a disastrous defense prevented them from improving.

Those mistakes during Riley’s second offseason as the head coach bled into the following campaign, when USC went just 7-6. Last season, however, the Trojans began to take a step forward again with a 9-4 season.

Now, there is a mountain of expectations surrounding Riley and company coming into 2026. Even after losing star receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, quarterback Jayden Maiava is back at USC after garnering NFL buzz coming out of the 2025 season. If he continues to take steps forward and USC keeps improving on defense, Riley may finally have his playoff-caliber team in 2026.