Lincoln Riley Reveals 'Biggest Regret' Since Being at USC

Lincoln Riley Reveals 'Biggest Regret' Since Being at USC originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley delivered an honest side of himself during his second-ever Big Ten Media Days. This time sharing what his "biggest regret" became since taking over as head coach.

Riley is navigating in an era overpopulated by name, image, likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. The latter Riley hit frequently since its inception -- including nabbing his former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams from there.

So what does the now fourth-year USC head coach regret? Is it the fact his teams declined winning wise the last two seasons? Riley said he's regretting past roster building tactics -- also known as emphasizing the portal.

""We went heavy again in the portal in Year 2. I think trying to capitalize on that, which was probably the toughest decision, the one we went back and forth on the most. One that, if I probably had...if you ask me maybe my biggest regret up to this point, that's probably it," Riley explained via 247Sports. "Because I think we all knew deep down long term that when you're at USC, the core values, and I think the core beliefs in terms of how you build a program is always going to start from your high school recruiting. Specifically in Los Angeles and in Southern California, and branching out all over the country, and then your ability to develop that and then supplementing it, at times, with the portal."

Now where does Riley hope to be at this point?

"That's where we want to be long term," Riley said regarding USC's recruiting methods. "It's where we've always wanted to be long term."

Riley has shown a willingness to pivot back to finding local talent. He siphoned Chad Bowen from rival Notre Dame to serve as general manager -- a move to help USC re-dominate on the trail.

USC now features 17 different California prospect's for the nation's No. 2 overall recruiting class. Five-star tight end Mark Bowman leads the way from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, a traditional hot spot on the recruiting trail for the Trojans. His teammate Tomuhini Topui is also on board, who flipped from Oregon to join USC.

Running back Deshonne Redeaux is one more local talent USC nabbed. The Oaks Christian star became one of the prized April commits for Riley and the Trojans.

Riley is showing he's trying to learn from his early regret of focusing less on backyard talent. He's entering the fall with 31 verbal commitments for the 2026 class including the aforementioned trio.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.