Lincoln Riley became one of the highest-paid coaches in college football in 2020 when he signed an extension with Oklahoma. Now, he’s set to give up that contract to move on to another one at USC.
According to Sports IllustratedRiley was previously signed to a five-year, $32 million contract in 2019 before signing a six-year, $45.2 million deal in July 2020, including a two-year extension to keep him in Norman until 2025.
The Trojan has not released figures on how much he will earn in his new position – nor do they need to, as a private university – but Riley is far from finished with the Sooners. Because he’s leaving before his contract expires, Riley, or USC, will be tasked with paying a buyout to get him out of the deal.
THAN: Why did Lincoln Riley leave Oklahoma?
How much is Lincoln Riley’s acquisition?
USC will process Riley’s $4.5 million acquisition, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Doesn’t sound like much, but consider that USC is already paying for a coach who doesn’t coach anymore. According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, the Trojans paid Clay Helton more than $10 million after they fired him in September after a crushing 42-28 loss to Stanford.
Clay Helton has two full years left on the deal. He is expected to owe more than $10 million in buybacks.
– Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 13, 2021
That in itself is just the $14.5 million that USC would spend to pay non-coach coaches.
THAN: Oklahoma fans are seething at Lincoln Riley for taking the USC job
Riley will certainly receive a high salary at USC. According to Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times, Helton made just under $5 million per season as head coach of Trojan.
Between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020, USC paid soccer team head coach Clay Helton $4.813 million, according to the university’s federal tax returns. Helton was paid $4,569 million over the previous year.
– Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) May 17, 2021
SEX: Lincoln Riley will rush to bring elite QB back to USC
The Trojan’s new head coach can be trusted to do much more. According to Sports Illustrated, Riley is expected to earn more than $7.5 million in each of his remaining seasons with the Sooners, including $8.275 million in 2023.
