After leading Oklahoma to four Big 12 Championships and coaching multiple Heisman winners with the Sooners, the USC Trojans signed Lincoln Riley to a salary and contract up there with the very best in college football. While much is shrouded in secrecy, let’s unpack what we know about Riley’s salary, contract, and net worth.
Lincoln Riley’s Salary and Contract in 2023
Not a lot. No, that’s not what Riley’s salary is as the head coach at USC. Far from it. Not a lot is what we know about the specifics of the deal that the Trojans signed their head coach to when they pried him away from Norman back in November 2021.
As a private university, USC is under no obligation to provide the details of Riley’s salary or contract. While the information may make it into the public sphere at some point, the actual figures behind one of the most substantial contracts in college football are currently a closely guarded secret.
So, what do we know — or at least think we know — about Riley’s salary and contract at USC? As first reported by Robert Hefner on Nov. 29, 2021, Riley’s total salary across the term of his contract is $110 million.
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With the assumption that it’s likely a 10-year deal for the former Oklahoma head coach, that would put Riley’s annual average salary at $11 million. However, there have been several reports that put his 2022 salary estimate at $10 million.
it isn’t unusual to see CFB coaches have a staggered salary across the term of their contract. It is possible, and again completely conjecture due to the privacy surrounding his contract, that Riley’s salary starts at a base of $10 million and increases incrementally over the life of his deal.
Either way, on a pure salary basis, that puts Riley amongst the upper echelon of college football coaches. Based on USC’s 11-3 campaign in the 2022 season and an assumption of a $10 million salary for the year, Riley would have netted just over $900,000 for each win that the Trojans tallied. Not too shabby.
Riley’s Net Worth
Working on an assumption that the reported $110 million contract signed in 2021 is accurate, Riley’s net worth has increased significantly following his departure from Oklahoma.
Having originally signed a five-year deal worth $32 million in 2019, Riley penned a contract extension that increased his salary to $45.21 million over six years in 2020. Allegedly, Oklahoma was working on a new deal for their head coach at the time of his departure to USC.
In addition to the salary aspect of his contract, Riley’s net worth is bolstered by other financial perks. Once again, as a private university, USC doesn’t have to provide the details and hasn’t done so.
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However, there has been speculation about the additional benefits that USC has afforded Riley. Those include the purchase of a $6 million LA home and the Trojans buying his two properties in Norman. It’s worth pointing out that those claims have been disputed.
There appears to be truth, however, in the assertion that Riley’s contract with the Trojans includes unlimited access to the USC private jet for himself and his family’s personal use.
Every coaching contract has inbuilt performance bonuses. While there are no details of how Riley will be rewarded for on-field success, his previous Oklahoma contract included bonuses in excess of $600,000 for conference titles, national championship wins, and coach of the year awards.
