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Lincoln Riley….

27 points · submitted Dec 2025 by u/CardGrad2019 · Discussion

I need someone to explain to me like I’m 5 years old wtf happened to this guy. He used to be the hottest coach in all of sports: 3 Heisman winners and 1 finalist in his first 6 years as a coach, constant top 5 offenses, 3 first overall picks and one quarterback with a Super Bowl win. It was understood that he never had a defense and it was his one thing holding him back but now he barely even has an offense. After Caleb Williams won the Heisman it has been a constant downhill struggle for him. Wtf happened?

25 comments · 97% upvoted · other discussions

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FREE-ROSCOE-FILBURN 46 points · Dec 2025

He regressed every year at OU and inherited what Stoops built. He’s an excellent offensive mind, pretty good recruiter (even though he wanted Vandagriff over Williams), and great QB developer, but he’s just straight up not a good head coach and has whiffed on every DC he’s had.

CL38UC 7 points · Dec 2025

Taking a lead from Kingsbury and becoming an NFL OC/QB coach feels like his future. I think I've seen enough of him as a head coach.

Bubbly-Double9743 7 points · Dec 2025 · :1_52_128x128: Miami Hurricanes

This.

CigCiglar 1 points · Jan 2026

He's a good recruiter when it comes to the sales pitch, and he is good at getting a recruiting ranking. He is dreadful when it comes to developing those recruits into successful college football players. There are a lot of players and pieces on a college football team that aren't the starting quarterback.

cfbluvr 16 points · Dec 2025

imagine lincoln riley offense with brent venables defense

CHOPPRZ 2 points · Dec 2025 · :notre_dame_128x128: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

That realization may be fast approaching

Automatic-Collar-85 2 points · Dec 2025

As an OU fan this makes me sad😂

Commercial-East4069 7 points · Dec 2025

Defenses have caught up a bit to the passing game in college. I don’t think his offensive lines have been nearly as good at USC (I wonder how much his OU o lines were coasting off the Stoops era). Aside from Williams, the qb play hasn’t been as good.

OkieClipper 10 points · Dec 2025 · :1_51_128x128: Oklahoma Sooners

First off, I’m biased. Dude is a phenomenal OC, but that’s where it ends. He does not care about the defensive side at all and that’s a problem as a head coach. It’s almost comedic that he hasn’t adapted at all. His offense this year was pretty great I just think he had some key pieces opt out.

Bubbly-Double9743 5 points · Dec 2025 · :1_52_128x128: Miami Hurricanes

And this as well. Two good and brief analyses of the problem. OU caught a pure blessing in him getting poached.

Ok_Turnover9776 4 points · Dec 2025

Uhhh not so quick with the adverbs for a coach who slipped away in the night. Last qb of merit , Caleb, but he was an Oklahoma qb. I wish him, Lincoln, well for sure but once this ‘leave em high and dry happens’, it has a way of truth telling. Boomer sooner

National-Sundae9427 9 points · Dec 2025 · :notre_dame_128x128: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

He has a losers mentality.

Oklahoma was fine for him when he only really had one or two teams to compete against. When he took over, there really wasn’t another program to compete with. TCU and Ok State were good, not great. By the time he left, Texas was back on the come up with Sark, Iowa State was getting stronger.

And the PAC-12 was set up exactly how the Big 12 was when he took over OU. So he left for USC. Now the dude doesn’t want to play ND because he can’t beat them

Opening_Duck5384 7 points · Dec 2025 · :tcu_128x128: TCU Horned Frogs

Overrated as hell. Got lucky with a couple insanely good and smart qbs and has shit the bed otherwise

CardGrad2019 [OP] 1 points · Dec 2025

And there’s the TCU fan 🤣

Opening_Duck5384 3 points · Dec 2025 · :tcu_128x128: TCU Horned Frogs

I mean, he’s a great offensive coordinator but as a coach he’s proven time and time again he can’t win big games. Idk what to tell you

CardGrad2019 [OP] 2 points · Dec 2025

I think Sonny dykes/Kendall Briles might be a little better. Sorry if I came off as smug earlier, I was just waiting fir a tcu fan to chime in after yesterday

Opening_Duck5384 1 points · Dec 2025 · :tcu_128x128: TCU Horned Frogs

Same here! I’m honestly not the biggest fan of dykes despite the success, makes extremely questionable decisions sometimes. Happy briles is gone, hoping the UConn coach can get us back to our 2022 offense.

Hope ya have a happy New year!

CardGrad2019 [OP] 1 points · Dec 2025

Happy new year!

CardGrad2019 [OP] 1 points · Dec 2025

And if you want the 2022 offense back, I’m pretty sure Lincoln’s little bro is available again 🤣

enoughtobesmart1 2 points · Dec 2025

I think it is a lot of what people have already said he inherited the structure from Stoops and he was in the Big XII and he can get away with some of his deficiencies as a coach which is time management and playing complimentary football.

I still think offensively he is really good but his inability to do the things I stated hurt him. I thought he was going to be Steve Spurrier 2.0

H0rnsD0wn 2 points · Dec 2025

He is basically a sustainer. He isn’t going to destroy a program or take it to the next level.

That’s been my take for a while but I’m kinda starting to believe he might could actually be building USC to be a bit better but next year’s schedule is ROUGH

[deleted] 4 points · Dec 2025

He’s Ryan Day without the ability to adapt.

He’s been handed the keys to (at this point) multiple Ferraris but he’s not maintaining them.

The game has evolved past high scoring offense. The clock moves faster now. Anyone who can run the ball on SC can beat them

wanderingdg 1 points · Jan 2026 · :florida_128x128: Florida Gators

Imagine banking $40mil by about 40, with another double that guaranteed regardless of how you perform, and you live in LA. We never consider this for coaches, but maybe he's just a little less hungry than he was

Working-Doctor9578 -4 points · Dec 2025 · :texas_128x128: Texas Longhorns

Competing in the Big XII can make anybody look like an offensive genius. I don’t think any of the QBs he’s had have gotten better through development. That system is definitely a window to success. There were people actively shitting on Caleb’s development in his second year at SC. That’s a shot directly at coaching. I don’t think he’s an especially good recruiter.