Lincoln Riley, Ryan Day have similar backgrounds, different results
Lincoln Riley and Ryan Day’s paths to becoming head coaches are remarkably similar. Their results over the past few years are not
In just a few hours, the USC football team will return to their Coliseum home to face off against Ohio State. The match will mark the first time that head coaches Lincoln Riley and Ryan Day will face each other. While both coaches share a similar origin story, their careers have taken very different paths in recent years.
Riley quickly climbed the ranks of coaching as an offensive coordinator before taking over at a prestigious program like Oklahoma, following Bob Stoops' retirement in 2017. Two years later, Day followed in Riley's footsteps by becoming Ohio State's head coach after Urban Meyer stepped down. Over their first five seasons, both coaches managed to win multiple conference titles, reach the College Football Playoff three times, and groom several standout quarterbacks.
Yet, despite their early successes, neither Riley nor Day managed to clinch a national championship. In more recent years, their careers have diverged significantly. Riley's record at USC stands at 24-17 over the last 41 games, and he currently finds himself in a precarious position, with his job hanging in the balance. On the other hand, Day secured a championship win in 2024 and has never lost more than two games in a single season while coaching Ohio State.
As they prepare to face each other in Saturday's game, Riley will be fighting to retain his position at USC, while Day aims to guide Ohio State to the College Football Playoff for the sixth time in just eight years.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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