“Oh yes, 100%,” Riley said after USC’s practice. “Like I said before, I’m right where I need to be.”
“I think there’s (virtually) nothing else other than what we’re building,” he said, looking toward USC’s $200 million football facility that is scheduled to open next summer. “I love living here.”
As college football prepares for a busy coaching carousel that includes vacancies at LSU, Penn State and Florida, among other places, Riley’s name wasn’t at the forefront of discussion, but it has come up. However, so far, Riley has dismissed any speculation about a possible departure.
Two weeks earlier, after USC defeated Northwestern, Riley was asked about the idea of becoming a candidate for open jobs.
“You guys know what I’ve sacrificed to get here,” Riley said. “I’m right where I need to be.”
In 2021, Riley shocked college football by leaving the head coaching job at Oklahoma for USC. Since arriving in Los Angeles, Riley has gone 34-17.
After an 11–3 record in his first season in 2022, USC went 8–5 and then 7–6. This season, Riley’s team was 8-2 before Saturday’s 42-27 loss to Oregon, No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, which effectively knocked the No. 17 Trojans out of playoff contention.
On Tuesday, Riley described the USC season as “a very good year – on the verge of being a great year, but a very good year.”
USC will play UCLA in its regular season finale on Saturday.
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