UCF’s $200M Lincoln Riley Dream Crumbles as Harsh Reality Sets in After Gus Malzahn’s Exit

Terrible times for UCF! A disheartening 4-8 season. Even their HC didn’t want to stick around anymore. Just a few days ago, the news of Gus Malzahn’s resignation shook the internet. While he’s set to look for a fresh start as Florida State’s new offensive coordinator, UCF lay in ruins. And as desperate times call for desperate measures, the Knights made a bold call. But the path seems to be winding down to a heartbreak. 

The bold move? Big 12 power-four “UCF has made inquiries about USC coach Lincoln Riley,” per The Athletic. In a new YouTube episode on Crain & Company on December 5, Jake Crain and David Cone got into a hot discussion on whether or not Lincoln Riley would leave USC for UCF. Cone added some sarcasm to the mix saying, “The head coach of Southern California? The one who has a private jet? And a mansion?” Money has already entered the subject. “He could be the OC in the NFL before he’d be the HC at Central Florida.”

We can’t blame UCF for trying to change their fortune around with someone like Lincoln Riley. Perhaps, his lackluster performance at USC this season and the Trojans fans’ fury gave the Knights the hope that there could be a chance. However, as The Athletic reported, “UCF has not received any word from Riley’s camp that he is interested in leaving USC, and the school is still looking at multiple candidates to fill its head coaching vacancy.” Do they have a chance?

As many view it, it would be a downgrade for Lincoln Riley. Consider this. The USC HC has one of the heftiest contracts for a college football HC when he signed a 10-year $110M contract with the Trojans in 2021. So, his buyout would be $90M to total him at a value of $200M. Does UCF have that kind of money to let Riley enjoy the perks of a “private jet” and a “mansion?” No. It’s going to be a case where the one with the most financial power wins the battle, much like in player recruitment. So even if he leaves USC for some reason, the possibility of him landing at Central Florida is slim. This brings us to another question – does Riley have a future in Southern California?

Is USC ready to move on from Lincoln Riley?

Let’s face the truth. This is Lincoln Riley’s worst season in his three years at USC. They sank 6-6 in their new Big Ten conference. But can we call this just one bad season? After all, the 41-year-old has a winning record with the Trojans. He went 11-1 in his first year in 2022 and produced Heisman winner Caleb Williams who became the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. 

In 2023, Lincoln Riley backslided to 7-5 but still led his team to the Holiday Bowl victory. He’s currently 25-14 with USC. Aside from the field plays, Riley’s also winning in recruitment. They just signed a highly ranked 5-star prospect in Jahkeem Stewart to prepare for the future in 2025. And this is again something that became possible with money! So, there’s a good chance that he’ll continue coaching the Trojans.