Lincoln Riley’s Compensation Details At USC Revealed

It's not terribly surprising that a head football coach decided to bolt Norman, Oklahoma for Palos Verdes, California, but with the reveal of Lincoln Riley's actual compensation, it makes even more sense.

The Los Angeles Times obtained federal tax returns filed by USC, Riley's new employer after leaving the Sooners, and boy oh boy did he cash in moving to LA.

According to the Times, USC paid Riley $19.7 million in total compensation from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. That compensation included over $10 million in salary and benefits for the 2022 season.

Riley joins coaches like Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney and now Steve Sarkisian, Kalen DaBoer and Ryan Day making over $10 million per year. And his $10+ million salary and benefits at USC far exceeded his $7.81 million salary at Oklahoma. 

It's good to be Lincoln Riley.

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 19: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans reacts to an extra point against the UCLA Bruins during the fourth quarter in the game at Rose Bowl on November 19, 2022 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Lincoln Riley Has Work To Do To Earn His Salary With USC

The Times' report covers just the 2022 football season, meaning he may have actually been making more during the disappoint 7-5 2023 season.

It's not clear exactly how much of the $9.6 million that Riley received as "other related compensation" was cash, though the Trojans athletic department did cover his $4.5 million buyout at Oklahoma.

What's crazy about USC's financial outlays on coaching is that they weren't just paying for Riley, they were paying for Clay Helton too. Helton received nearly $4 million severance pay in 2022, while taking his "talents" to Georgia Southern. Just those two coaches were paid roughly $24 million in salary, benefits and other related compensation. Alex Grinch, USC's former defensive coordinator, also received $4.3 million total compensation, though that did include over $1 million in buyout money. 

That made him one of the highest paid coordinators in college football, despite a disastrous performance by the Trojans defense in 2022 that somehow got worse in 2023. Grinch has since been replaced with another high-priced coordinator, D'Anton Lynn. 

Paying top dollar for a head coach is a necessity for programs hoping to compete at an elite level, and USC certainly hopes to compete at an elite level. Riley delivered that, for the most part in 2022, but the 7-5 finish in 2023 was inexcusable.

Riley and USC now head into 2024 with a brutal schedule with match-ups against LSU, Michigan, Washington, Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin and UCLA. And they'll be without Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.

Winning nine or 10 games with that schedule would be a minor miracle. And if Riley's able to pull it off with Miller Moss and a totally revamped defense, he'll have earned every penny of that massive salary.