When Lincoln Riley pulled up to USC, folks thought he was about to turn the Trojans into a straight-up juggernaut. The man was fresh off a dominant 55-10 run at Oklahoma, producing Heisman quarterbacks like it was light work. But since touching down in sunny SoCal? It’s been a different story. A 7-6 season in 2024? Not exactly what Trojan fans had in mind. College football insiders are straight-up calling him out. The word on the street? Riley needs to take a page out of Ryan Day’s book before it’s too late.

On February 15th, college football analyst Brian Smith didn’t hold back on his The Portal podcast, throwing down a challenge for Riley and his struggling Trojans. “USC, I just don’t believe they can tackle well enough and prove it on defense based on how Lincoln Riley utilizes his defenses with how they practice their offense,” Smith said. “It’s just never worked — not consistently. So he just has to prove it to me.”

Translation? USC can have all the five-star offensive firepower they want, but if they’re still letting teams run wild on their defense, they’re not sniffing natty. And the stats back it up. In 2024, USC’s defense low-key ranked 58th nationally, giving up 377.1 yards per game. They allowed 24.1 points per contest, which ain’t exactly a disaster — but for a program with championship aspirations, it’s straight-up mid. The biggest issue? Riley stays glued to calling plays on offense while the defense stays on life support.

The Trojans ain’t sitting around, though. They pulled out the checkbook. Chad Bowden, Notre Dame’s ace recruiter, just secured the bag with a million-dollar-plus contract to be USC’s GM. They upgraded the defensive staff, extended defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, and even snagged five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart. USC got the talent — but will Riley actually let them do their thing?

Brian Smith called it out: “They got good assistants. They’ve improved their defensive staff in particular. USC has a chance, but this is where the stubbornness of college coaches comes in.” And that’s the million-dollar question. Because if Riley keeps micromanaging the offense and ignoring the bigger picture, all these moves won’t mean squat. Right now, Riley is still operating like a glorified OC running a program, and as long as that’s the case, the Trojans are gonna keep coming up short. Ya’ll might ask – What must Lincoln Riley do? Simply follow Ryan Day’s humble masterclass.

Ryan Day masterclass: Give up the play-calling gig?

Ryan Day caught 3 straight Ls to Michigan, got clowned, and had folks calling for his job. But instead of doubling down on stubbornness, he made a power move — he handed play-calling to Brian Hartline and focused on being a true head coach. Result? Natty secured in 2024. Yes, Ryan Day lost to Michigan again after giving play-calls, but who cares, they got the last laugh and a natty.

Jeff McMichael, a Big Ten insider, made the comparison: “Locked on USC is one I think is pretty good. That guy is adamant that the biggest issue with USC is play calling and game management. And he’s the biggest advocate for Lincoln Riley to give up play-calling responsibilities… Yeah, and I think he might be right.”

Look, the best coaches oversee the whole squad. Nick Saban. Kirby Smart. Jim Harbaugh. They let their guys cook while handling the bigger picture. Riley’s gotta decide if he wants to be a legend or just another offensive guru who never figured out the full game.

Now, don’t get it twisted. Riley is still an offensive mastermind. But 2024 wasn’t pretty. The Trojans averaged just 30.2 points per game (51st nationally) and 437.5 total yards per game (18th). That’s a fall-off from the days when his offenses led the nation. At Oklahoma, he had teams averaging 48.4 PPG. Now? It’s looking pedestrian. Without Caleb Williams, the cracks showed. The offense had no balance. They could not throw the ball downfield like they used to hit before. The run game was non-existent. And Riley and QB1 Miller Moss? They looked out of sync at times.

With Luke Huard now in the building as USC’s offensive coordinator, the opportunity is there. If Riley still oversees the offense but lets Huard call plays, it could give USC the balance they desperately need. Riley could finally shift his focus to fixing the defense, managing the roster, and — most importantly — building a tougher culture. Ain’t gonna lie, you don’t need to recruit all over America to win the natty, all Lincoln Riley has to do is – lock in on their backyard talent.

Lincoln Riley is at a crossroads. He can keep doubling down on the same approach — offensive mastermind, play-caller, QB factory — and watch USC continue to underachieve. Or, he can take a step back, trust his staff, and embrace the head coaching role fully, the way Ryan Day did at Ohio State. It won’t be easy. Giving up play-calling is basically giving up his identity. But if he doesn’t? Well, let’s just say USC fans might be looking for a new head coach next season.