Lincoln Riley offers a refreshing take on the NIL era of college football

Lincoln Riley believes the NIL is the best thing for college football.

The Trojans coach was on "The Herd" with Colin Ciowherd and spoke about the reasons he liked the new era of college football that allows players to be compensated. He and Cowherd agreed that the NIL has opened the door for more teams to be competitive if they are willing to invest in the sport. 

"I think the parity...I think it's what you said. It's stories that would have happened before that are happening now," Riley said. "I mean, now there's not just one part of the country paying players, everybody's able to do it. And it's a great thing because I think it's created a much more level playing field and given schools the opportunity to really compete if they want to invest."

That was a nice shot at the SEC. I like your style coach.

Riley is a big fan of the NIL era of college football

USC is trying to navigate through this era and achieve the balance necessary to build a roster that can consistently compete for the playoffs. After spending most of the 2025 season in the top 20, USC is ready to compete for a spot in the 12-team CFP bracket with a solid returning core of players and a No. 1 recruiting class and an impressive haul in the transfer portal to round out the roster.

The way Riley sees it now, the teams that are willing to invest in football have a shot at winning, and there are more stories like Indiana and Texas Tech out there now that there's a level playing field.

"We all know there's still parts of it to be worked out. It's obviously not a finished product by any stretch of the imagination. But it has gotten better," Riley said. "There have been a lot of positives and I think you're going to continue to see a lot of great stories and a lot of new opportunities for all different types of programs, which I think is good for the sport as a whole."