How many players did Lincoln Riley take with him? Exploring one of the greatest transfers in CFB history
When USC head coach Lincoln Riley moved to SoCal from Oklahoma, it was considered one of the biggest transfer portal moves ever in college football history. That's because, with his arrival in LA, Riley was able to turn the Trojans' program around with a speed almost unheard of.
But Riley was far from the only former member of the Sooners to move to USC. And this is something you'll see described in detail here.
How many players did Lincoln Riley take with him?
According to a report last year by The Ringer, Lincoln Riley managed to recruit 20 players into the Trojans from three schools: Alabama, Ohio State, and Oklahoma.
Of these 20 players, 17 eventually made it to the Trojans' initial two-deep lineup. Furthermore, two of these players were five-star recruits, and five of them being four-star recruits. It was one of the largest transfer portals ever seen, which got fans so excited they're even linking it to USC's transfer to the Big Ten from the Pac-12.
When asked about this massive transfer portal move, Riley defended it in an appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." As reported by Bleacher Report, Riley reiterated that they didn't explicitly take players away from Oklahoma but focused on getting people from the transfer portal.
The single biggest piece of Lincoln Riley's USC transfer
Modern college football fans could argue that aside from Lincoln Riley himself, the biggest asset of this transfer was Caleb Williams.
The Heisman winner (and once more frontrunner this season) remains the driving force behind the Trojans' devastating offense, even if the team's defense remains lacking. Many people, however, were asking whether Williams transferred to specifically follow Riley to SoCal. The answer was unclear, but there are several reasons why moving to LA made sense for Williams.
Lincoln Riley has helped lead USC to a still-undefeated record this season. The Trojans have won the first four games in double digits, with Arizona State being the only one to get close.
Still, USC will likely face its toughest test of the season on October 1 when they go up against Coach Prime's Colorado Buffaloes.