Paul Finebaum Names Top College Football Coach As 'One Hit Wonder'

2017, a first-time college football head coach took the nation by storm. He helped lead the Oklahoma Sooners to the College Football Playoff and played an instrumental role in helping Baker Mayfield win the Heisman Trophy.

In 2018, he led Oklahoma back to the playoffs and helped Kyler Murray win the Heisman, making Oklahoma one of six schools to win back-to-back Heisman Trophies. That quickly made Lincoln Riley a household name.

He could not lead the Sooners to a championship during his time at Oklahoma. Oklahoma made it to the College Football Playoff again in 2019, but its defense failed them again, preventing them from winning a playoff game while he was in charge.

Riley headed to USC in 2022 but encountered the same problem with the Trojans. In their first year, USC achieved an 11-3 record, and Caleb Williams won the Heisman. However, in the second year, USC's performance dropped to 8-5. USC ended up ranking No. 106 and No. 119 in defensive yards per game allowed, respectively.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum said that Riley's defenses continue to haunt him. He went as far as to say Riley was more of a one-hit wonder than a coach who can sustain his success.

"You start with the problem that has haunted him at Oklahoma and at Southern Cal," Finebaum said."It's been his inability to get the right fix for defense. People think he has it (now), but they also thought he had it a couple of years ago, and it didn't work out. I am quickly moving toward the opinion that he is a one-hit wonder."

Finebaum mentioned that Riley is a very proficient offensive and quarterback coach, but he believes that's the extent of his capabilities. Finebaum has been very critical of Riley recently.

He previously stated that Riley's situation is hopeless, mentioning that he believed Riley had lost control and comparing it to being stuck in quicksand. Regardless, 2024 could be a massive season for Riley and USC.

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