Lincoln Riley has been one of the most doomed head coaches in USC’s recent history as another dwindling season came to an end. The catastrophe around the QB room has been a major talking point throughout the season, and Riley couldn’t get more juggled up while experimenting between his available QB lineups. From Miller Moss to Jayden Maiava, Riley recorded some bold moves that made the fans freak out on X. Especially after Riley benched Moss in favor of Maiava, triggering the prodigy to hit the portal shortly afterward, he received a lot of backlash. There is still a dense belief that Riley’s decision to replace Moss was a massive downfall point for the Trojans, leading to a frustrating 7-6.

But here comes a contradicting twist that can make your anti-Lincoln Riley instinct pause for a moment and reassess. Thanks to the swirling hype over Jalen Hurts’ potential Super Bowl victory.

Lincoln Riley gained back some trust in a highly debated QB decision 

Riley has taken a lot in his ripped career with the Trojans. Veterans like Paul Finebaum heavily questioned the very purpose of not firing him from the chair. Needless to say, fans knew the answer, and it had to be nothing but the lofty buyout money that counts somewhere near $90 million. One main juncture in the past season was when the constant frowns of Riley’s antics reached a fever high when he made a reckless decision on QB Miller Moss after he failed to capitalize much on the game against the Washington Huskies in week 10.

Moss had been a promising aspect all along, completing over 70% of his passes in the first two games of the year. However, as the season progressed, his passing rate and overall performance dropped down a bit. Fans opposed the fact that instead of readjusting his weak point, Riley chose to give up on a reliable asset. But Jayden Maiava was also not a bad choice, for that matter. He led the team to the Las Vegas Bowl and earned some strategic praise from the crowd. “Should we be questioning Riley’s decision as to who he picks for quarterback?” USCJ Lost in the Sauce Podcast host asked in an eye-opening debate, ”Because he has been up for discussion right now, I think Lincoln Riley knows just like he felt like Miller should have been there in the beginning, then he moved to Jayden Maiava.”

”Whoever Lincoln Riley says look man or if it’s Husan, Husan Longstreet, listen I trust Lincoln Riley to the fullest, based on his track record,” the analyst reaffirmed his faith in the beleaguered head coach and not for nothing. After Riley brought five-star QB signee Husan Longstreet to the equation, making their scholarship quarterback Jayden Maiava sign up for an upcoming QB competition, questions emerged whether or not he is going in the right path in regard to spotting and developing the talents.

However, when it comes to Longstreet, the No. 6 QB in the 2025 class, he had a singular vision when he signed for Lincoln Riley. While flipping his commitment to USC in November 2024, Longstreet said, “He has five quarterbacks starting in the NFL right now and four that won the Heisman. It’s hard to turn down something special like that. I feel like we can do big things here and feel like a National Championship is coming.”

And it’s more than the fact that Riley has 5 QBs in the NFL. His QB just won the Super Bowl, defeating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs by 40-22.

Riley played an instrumental role in the meteoric rise of Jalen Hurts’ career

What Riley has done to Hurts was really spectacular. One of the many significant feats of Riley’s years in Norman was his 2019 season, which he spent developing QB Jalen Hurts into a rising superstar and teaching him the minutes of playing at a quarterback position.

Lane Kiffin coached Hurts a few years earlier at Alabama; however, it is Coach Riley who was able to explore Hurts hidden talent as a runner within the OU scheme. If in the NFL, it is coach Nick Sirianni who made Hurts an NFL MVP sensation. It’s coach Riley in college football who made him a veteran from a rookie in the real sense.

And guess what? The former head coach of the Eagles sensation couldn’t be more proud of seeing it all unfold for his favorite boy. He said his inconsistencies and blunders in his college career made him stumble a bit in projecting how great Hurts could be in his pro career, even though he wanted to vouch badly. “I told somebody if he ever got some continuity in a system, watch out,” the proud ex-coach said in a past interview.

Riley also remains grateful to Hurts for making him a better coach, as coaching a prolific player like him provided both fun and challenge to him. It remains to be seen if anyone between his new watch-out guys, Longstreet or Maiava, can become the next Jalen Hurts and add to his coaching resume or not.