Once again, Lincoln Riley and USC enter this season with high expectations. The former Oklahoma head coach has a 19-8 record with the Trojans, with only one Pac-12 championship appearance to show.
However, Riley has alluded to using a legendary coach as a resource — Pete Carroll. USC recently hired the former Seattle Seahawks coach as a professor to teach a class in the spring. Riley said he would love the chance to work with Carroll at some point.
“Coach {Carroll} has been great to me, we’ve gotten the chance to catch up pretty often,” Riley told the media Thursday afternoon. “He’s been a great resource and a great person to be able to pick his brain, and has been very good to me. I’m excited he’s going to be here more, and {it} would be crazy to not take advantage of having him around.”
Will #USC HC Lincoln Riley accept advice from former #Seahawks & #USC head coach Pete Carroll now that he has returned to campus in a teacher role? pic.twitter.com/fD2T7mQiuh
— Nick Hamilton (@NickHamilton213) August 22, 2024
Carroll was very successful during his time with the Trojans. He led USC to two national championships in 2003 and 2004, establishing the program as one of college football’s powerhouses. Carroll had the experience of working with some of the best to put on a Trojan uniform, including Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Reggie Bush.
In the NFL, he led the Seahawks to multiple Super Bowl appearances, including a dominant victory over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos during the 2013-2014 season. Carroll helped assemble the “Legion of Boom” defense, including Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas III, Kam Chancellor, and Bobby Wagner.
It would certainly be interesting to see Riley and Carroll collaborate on the field. The Trojans open their season in Las Vegas against LSU on Sept. 1, a matchup pitting two of college football’s biggest brands against each other.