USC coach Lincoln Riley said that his family required armed security after he announced plans to leave Oklahoma in November of 2021. In an interview on the YouTube series “In Depth with Graham Bensinger,” Riley mentioned multiple security incidents that endangered his family.
“I had several individuals attempting to break into the house in the days following the announcement,” Riley revealed. “While 95% of the fans and people associated with Oklahoma are great, there are always a few who take it too far. Unfortunately, this was one of those instances.”
Riley became USC’s coach on Nov. 28, 2021, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Initially, Riley had intended to allow his two daughters, aged nine and five at the time, to finish the fall semester before relocating them to Los Angeles. However, due to the break-ins and other incidents, Riley felt it was necessary to move them as quickly as possible.
“On the night we made the decision, I told my wife and a few close confidants that it was going to be bad,” Riley recalled. “Some people suggested it would blow over in a matter of hours or days, but I knew from experience that it would be that bad.”
Riley’s departure from Oklahoma was a monumental coaching move in the history of college football, as no Oklahoma coach had left for another college job since 1947. His departure marked the first external coaching search for the Sooners since Bob Stoops was hired after the 1998 season.
During his five seasons at Oklahoma, Riley achieved a record of 55-10, winning four consecutive Big 12 championships and making three appearances in the College Football Playoff. Since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996, no other program has won more than three Big 12 titles. In his first season at USC, Riley led the Trojans to an 11-3 record and a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
