Lincoln Riley’s Unmatched Influence Takes Over the NFL This Weekend

The USC Trojans are facing a challenging transition in their first season in the Big Ten, with a 24-17 upset loss to Minnesota last week dropping them to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Their earlier loss came against Michigan in Week 4, and as expected, head coach Lincoln Riley is receiving much of the criticism.

Though the results haven’t fully met expectations in Riley’s third season at USC, his reputation as one of the best offensive minds in college football remains intact. A testament to Riley’s coaching prowess can be found in the NFL this weekend, where five of his former quarterbacks will be starting.

Kyler Murray, who won the Heisman under Riley at Oklahoma in 2018, will start for the Arizona Cardinals against the Green Bay Packers. Jalen Hurts, who played for Riley at Oklahoma in 2019, will lead the Philadelphia Eagles as they host the Cleveland Browns. Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft and a former Heisman winner under Riley at USC, will be at the helm for the Chicago Bears against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Baker Mayfield, another Heisman winner under Riley at Oklahoma, will suit up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the New Orleans Saints, who will also start rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, yet another former Riley quarterback.

Rattler, drafted by the Saints in the fifth round, will make his first NFL start on Sunday, taking over for an injured Derek Carr. With Rattler starting, all five of Riley's starting quarterbacks from when he became a head coach in 2017 to last season, will be leading NFL teams this weekend—a remarkable achievement, as highlighted by Pro Football Focus's Max Chadwick.

Rattler’s journey is particularly noteworthy, as he transferred out of Oklahoma after the 2021 season, following his replacement by Caleb Williams. Rattler then transferred to South Carolina before being drafted by the Saints this year. Now, in Week 6 of the NFL season, he gets his first opportunity as a starter, adding to Riley’s impressive coaching tree.