Lincoln Riley releases statement following Oklahoma departure for USC

Former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley issued a statement after leaving Oklahoma to coach the USC Trojans. 

Lincoln Riley, formerly the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners and now the head coach of the USC Trojans, has issued a statement following the news of his new coaching gig.

In the statement, Riley was overwhelmingly effusive with his praise of the Sooners and the history of the Oklahoma football program. Of course, he also made it clear that he believes Oklahoma will continue to have a great team and he expressed gratitude for his time as the Sooners’ head coach.

Lincoln Riley hired at USC: Former Oklahoma Sooners head coach releases statement on his new job

Riley is stepping into an interesting position by accepting the job as the head coach of the Trojans. If he had stuck around with the Sooners in Oklahoma, he would have had to eventually regularly face off against teams like the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, and LSU Tigers.

That’s not even to mention pesky opponents like the Ole Miss Rebels, Kentucky Wildcats, Arkansas Razorbacks, and Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The Pac-12 is a tricky conference for different reasons, but Riley should be able to step in and win immediately. The overall level of competition in his new conference should lead to plenty of victories and even more opportunities at the College Football Playoff. That may not have necessarily been the case in the SEC.

Regardless, the Sooners are now searching for a new head coach. They’ll pick up the pieces and move forward. Soon enough, they’ll end up in the SEC. Maybe they’ll even have a head coach who can win in the College Football Playoff.

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