Paul Finebaum Calls Elite CFB Coach ’Disaster’ At New Job, Says He Should Be Fired

The grass isn't always greener on the other side and that is something that an elite coach in college football is learning.

After taking over as the head coach of Oklahoma in 2017 following his stellar showings as the offensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley quickly established himself as one of the best coaches in college football. He became known for his high-octane offenses that produced stars like Heisman winners and No. 1 picks in the NFL Draft, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, and also led the Sooners to a domination of the Big 12.

Oklahoma won four consecutive Big 12 titles during Riley’s tenure as the head coach, and made it to the College Football Playoff three times. It didn’t win a single playoff game under Riley, but the program was still firing on all cylinders — at least until Riley’s name began to pop up in the LSU coaching search, which he assured fans he wasn’t taking the LSU job. Instead, he ended up taking the USC job, which took the college football world by storm. Many speculated, and Oklahoma’s athletic director recently confirmed that Riley wanted no part of the move to the SEC.

"But I will tell you, without reservation, every coach that we talked to was excited. And you know what? The ones that weren't aren't here anymore... You either gotta accept it or not. This is Oklahoma. Get with it, or get on with it," said Sooners athletic director Joe Castiglione said earlier this month.

Riley and his new program still ended up moving conferences, as USC left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten but a new conference is the least of his worries. After going 11-3 in his first year and making the Pac-12 title game, USC fell flat on their face this past season despite having the eventual No. 1 pick Caleb Williams at quarterback.

The Trojans went 8-5 after starting 6-0, in a season that ESPN’s Paul Finebaum called a disaster on Monday at SEC Media Day in Dallas.

When asked how much Riley has to prove in 2024, Finebaum did not hold back.

"I think he has an enormous amount to prove because quite frankly...I think he's been a disaster," Finebaum said on ESPN’s “First Take.” “Let’s go back three years. Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC was announced at this moment in time. What did Lincoln Riley do? He ran away. He did not want to deal with the South Eastern Conference at OU. He took what he thought was the easier course and goes out to Southern Cal, takes Caleb Williams … good first year but since then everything has gone wrong.

"I thought last year was one of the worst coaching jobs I have ever seen. Quite frankly, had I been the athletic director at Southern Cal I would have fired Lincoln Riley. Because he has yet to show after many years as a head coach, he knows anything about defense. He's gone through defensive coordinators. He just simply couldn't handle it and now things are going to be five times worse in the Big Ten."

Riley hired Anthony Lynn to save his defensive unit after two rough years under previous coordinator Alex Grinch. This past year saw USC rank No. 116 in total defense, allowing over 430 yards of offense per game, while allowing over six yards per play. Meanwhile, during his time at UCLA last season, Lynn’s unit ranked No. 10 in total defense.

If the Trojans can get a better showing from their defense, and find an adequate replacement for the former Heisman winner at quarterback it could end up buying Riley some more time.

Related: Shedeur Sanders Speaks Out After Travis Hunter's Comments Spark Social Media Outrage

Related: College Football: Projecting the Starting Quarterbacks for All 134 Teams in 2024

Related: College Football's Returning Starters Breakdown for all 134 Teams in 2024