USC Football: Writer Thinks Lincoln Riley May Eventually Outgrow College Game
Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley has earned plenty of credit for being college football's next great quarterback whisperer given his track record.
The USC offensive genius turned Baker Mayfield and Jalen Hurts into Pro Bowl quarterbacks and will likely do the same for Caleb Williams for whichever NFL team drafts him first overall this spring.
Though the college sphere is where Riley has had the most success some speculate he'll want a new challenge at the pro level in the near future.
“I think at some point, down the road, I think he will coach in the NFL. That’s my own personal opinion, he’s never told me that, but that’s my gut. I think he’s a guy who, I think, is obsessive when it comes to Xs and Os. I think you see that translate in a lot of guys, whether it's Mike McDaniel or Shanahan or McVay.”
Riley wouldn't be the first talented college mind to transition toward the NFL, but for success stories like former USC coach Pete Carroll, far more disastrous tenures follow former college greats to the pros.
Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach of all time, but his time in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins turned out to be underwhelming before he built a powerhouse at Alabama.
Kliff Kingsbury became the Arizona Cardinals head coach despite a lackluster college record for the simple fact that he helped Patrick Mahomes develop into a Super Bowl MVP.
Even someone as successful as Urban Meyer through his stints at the University of Florida and Ohio State proved that he couldn't hang at the NFL level in failing to complete even one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Nobody knows where Riley's plans might take him but history indicates that the grass may not be greener on the other side.
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