How much is Lincoln Riley's buyout at USC?

Lincoln Riley is in the middle of this third year as USC's head football coach. Thus, the expectations entering this season were elevated.

Most Southern California fans expected to see their program back in the national championship picture at this point in Riley's tenure. However, with this year's team just 3-3 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play, fans are resigned to the fact that this will be another mediocre USC football season at best.

There will be no College Football Playoff birth for Riley's team unless something miraculous happens in the Big Ten standings. Already with three conference losses, USC has an infinitesimal shot at even playing for the conference title, much less making it into the expanded 12-team playoff.

Overall, Riley is just 22-11 with the Trojans. To put that in perspective, keep in mind that Riley has a winning percentage of 66.6 while his predecessor, Clay Helton (a man reviled by many USC fans) had a winning percentage of 65.7.

As a result, some USC fans are starting to talk about whether or not the program should make another coaching change. But for that to happen, Riley would have to be bought out.

So let's take a look at what it would cost to move on from Riley. But as you will see, that wouldn't be an easy decision for USC.

What would it cost USC to buy out Lincoln Riley's contract?

Because USC is a private university, it does not have to disclose the salaries of its employees like state-funded universities must. Therefore, we don't know the exact details of Riley's contract.

Riley came to USC from Oklahoma in 2021 in a move that rocked the landscape of college football. Given the success he had experienced with the Sooners, it must have taken a lucrative contract to pry him out of Norman, Oklahoma.

It has been reported that his deal with USC is worth $110 million. The length of the deal was also reported to be 10 years.

It is estimated that Riley's buyout is currently $88 million. That would be a huge financial burden on the athletic department and the university.

Given the incoming wave of expenses that NCAA athletic programs may have to navigate, it would seem prohibitive for USC to make a coaching change at this time. Because the NCAA is reportedly close to settling a lawsuit that would require its member institutions to pay tens of millions of dollars to its athletes, now is not a time when schools are motivated to pay massive buyouts to coaches.

Of course, if enough boosters were able to come together to fund most of that $88 million, then something could happen. However, it seems unlikely that any coaching change in imminent, even if fans are growing frustrated with Riley.

Still, many fans will keep Riley's buyout in mind, especially if the Big Ten losses keep piling up. The second half of the season will be critical for Riley and his program both for this season and for the future of USC football under the current coaching staff and if the Trojans can't rebound from their tough stretch, then talk about buying Riley out will only increase.