USC Football Heisman winner gives Lincoln Riley much-appreciated nod of approval

Recently, Marcus Allen was interviewed by USC Football team reporter Keely Eure at Salute to Troy, and Allen couldn't say enough about new SC Head Coach Lincoln Riley.

"I've seen what Coach Riley has done at the University of Oklahoma," said legendary USC RB Allen. "I see the players that he's coached. I've seen the players that he's developed. He comes here with an understanding of the great expectation."

Riley certainly did have tremendous success at OU. He was the head coach there for five years, and went to three College Football Playoffs and finished in the top 10 in every season. The most amount of losses he's ever had in a season is two. He won FOUR Big 12 titles in his time with the Sooners. He's in that first-tier of head coaches.

Marcus Allen was definitely right about new USC Football Head Coach Lincoln Riley developing great players.

Marcus Allen noticed what everybody noticed about USC Football's Lincoln Riley as it pertained to developing players back when he was with OU. He developed two Heisman winning QBs in Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018). Both were selected with the No. 1 overall pick in their respective NFL Drafts.

"I think he knows what he's getting into," said 1981 Heisman winner Allen. "He knows the standard assigned. I think he can get it done here, so I believe in him. I think he'll do exactly what he intends to do, which is win."

Allen most certainly knows great football when he sees it. Not only did he win a National Championship and Heisman at USC, but he went on to be a top 10 overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft and had such a great career that he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Allen played for an elite head coach in John Robinson with the Trojans, so he's absolutely right to be trusted in his judgement of the fantastic coach that Riley is and has always been.

Robinson had two stints at SC, the first being from 1976 to 1982; where he won that National Championship and two more Rose Bowls. Allen was there for of course the Natty, and also the last Rose Bowl. His second stint was from 1993 to 1997, where he won another Rose Bowl and a Cotton Bowl.

Allen has quite a bit of greatness in him himself, and he's been coached by greatness too. Riley getting the nod of approval from a true legend must have meant a lot to him, and it's great to see Allen being involved with what this program has going on here these days.