FOOTBALL

Lincoln Riley Says He Didn’t Take Players From Oklahoma

USC superfan (again) Colin Cowherd interviewed Lincoln Riley today and Riley said this: “We didn’t take players from Oklahoma. We took players from the transfer portal. Those players and their families had to make a decision to stay at that university . . . or to enter the portal where they could be recruited by anybody.”

I’m all for taking players in the transfer portal but this answer is disingenuous.

Of course the Oklahoma players came to USC because Riley is the coach. Just like players flipped their commitment from Oklahoma to USC because Riley is the coach.

It’s not wrong or illegal that it happened.

But the players didn’t attend Transfer Portal U.

Caleb Williams and Mario Williams attended Oklahoma and never would have gone to USC if Clay Helton were still the coach.

And I said Colin Cowherd is a USC superfan again because he jumped back on the bandwagon following Helton’s departure.

89 thoughts on “Lincoln Riley Says He Didn’t Take Players From Oklahoma”

  1. Flow, I think a lot of us can admit we “jumped back on the bandwagon” after the departure of Clay, and then the great hire (even if he fell into Bohn’s lap) of Riley. That includes myself. Interest level is high for me personally. And it’s about damn time.

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    1. 100%, oh4. I’m not ashamed to say that, after decades of unswerving allegiance, Helton caused me to lose all interest in USC football. It feels great to be back.

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      2. Definitely! In Milton’s “Paradise Lost” once you’re inside you’re not allowed back out of Hell.
        #WeCaughtABreak

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      5. Good thing you are not Pinocchio, MG, because your nose would be longer than a telephone wire (or something like that)

        You suffered greatly this last season, and that is why you are so appreciative of the new good fortune. I finish with a cold shower each morning because I appreciate it when it is over.

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      7. Agreed MG, After decades…. I wondered how many years I have been a Trojan so I did a little math. Without asking but using general knowledge of my parent’s habits I can say (with some degree of accuracy) that I went to the 1954 Stanford game with my dad and came home with my mom (we won). However in all of the seasons, which followed there was never a time when I and my family didn’t attend at least one game until the Helton epoch. We made it to just one game in the past three years. I have already put my name on the list for season tickets in 2022.

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  2. Scott has hit on something: Players SHOULD be allowed to play for the Portal. The Portal has enough money to hire any coach it wants to — and destroy Alabama …and everybody and everything else that gets in it’s way.
    #GoPortal!

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    1. Enrollement in the portal is much easier and cheaper than going to college. What I feel bad about are the kids to went portal and will never get picked up. smdh

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  3. Scottie, this is your second whiff in as many days. Not disingenuous at all. Your posts are beginning to have the logic of ed G, but without any of Ed’s genius humor.

    This is a business, the kids can play for any program, every top program competes for the same top kids. You get a top coach, and you will recruit some top kids. Williams could literally have gone anywhere. I doubt you would have said Saban was disingenuous if Saban was quoted as to what Riley said.

    We are all excited that USC football is expected to be back. With the exception of 2016 and Sam, this was a long, cold, 11 year winter and we are ready for spring. You appear to looking under every rock for something to crap on.

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  4. Well, if Scott said something like, “Coach Riley is correct when he says that the players in the Portal can go anywhere they want, and if they decide to join up with Riles then so be it,” then there would be no controversy and nothing to write about. Scott has to create controversy or there is no blog.

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    1. Many years ago Scott took a long look at one of Dan Weber’s happy-talk “Predictions for The Upcoming Season — USC Football Goes Undefeated!” …. and said to himself, “I think the world deserves better.”

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      2. To your point, Michael (I just learned that phrase listening to sports radio), there once was a start-up newspaper that printed only good news, and that company went bankrupt inside 6-months.

        I am not smart enough to figure out the human condition that seems to gravitate to bad, or at least, controversial news. And yet most of us like to have good things (similar to news) happening in our lives.

        Oh well, maybe if there is an after life it will be explained to me, along with who really killed Kennedy.

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      3. As far as an afterlife, I reserve the right to believe there is one —but I don’t know if we’re gonna be let in on CIA secrets when we arrive…

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    2. Slow news day, I guess. Alternatively, Scottie could make amends at Heritage and earn his way back onto campus and be able to say he is “Inside USC”. Is there anyone still there who would even know about Scottie’s double secret probation? Maybe it is written on a bathroom wall?

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      1. My favorite bathroom wall story, of course, involves UCLA. I used to study at the UCLA Law Library when my wife went there. Someone started a wall thread in which the word “beaver” was inserted (if you can forgive the disgusting imagery) into the titles of famous movies. Everyone using stall #4 contributed until the list took up the whole cubicle —my personal favorite being “The Incredible Lightness of Beaver.”

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      2. Mickey, now thar goes an industrial animal. Beever dam in back of my and the missus house bilt better than our own dam house. Missus asks me if we can train them beevers to fix fondation of ed’s house, since old ed is more of an idea man than a doityerself man. smdh

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  5. Wolf acts like this has never happened before. Sure, players want to play for a specific coach, and it is their right to do so. Big swing and a miss on that one Wolf.

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  6. I’m fine with bandwagon fans hopping back on. Just hope they never claim to be lifelong Trojans. They’re not.

    They’re as fair weather as SUCLA fans.

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      2. Thank you for saying that. I’m an alum (not holier than thou) so that pretty much automatically makes me a “lifer.” Me personally? I never hopped off, but I sure have been pissed after going to school during the rise of Pete and the steadiness of being competitive years after the big runs. But you, MG, regulars, etc., alums or not, all saw this shit show for the past 10+ years. Alabama will fall again. USC will rise again. Just like the ocean. Regardless of Alabama currently, our time for a shot at the top has finally come back around. Excited.

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    2. You shouldn’t mistake fans that were seriously disheartened by the USC football program the last 5 years, or ever since PC left. We waited patiently for the program to finally hit rock bottom, rejoiced like crazy when CH got sent packing and then finally are beginning to see a light at the end of tunnel. Hopefully it isn’t another train wreck coming, we can get some respect for a change, and we can look forward to the 2022 season. I can now admit I am again a sunshine pumper.

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  7. The bad times are what makes the good times great and memorable. Whether it’s in sports, rooting for your favorite teams or just living life in general.

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  8. So, should LR say, “I won’t take them because they left Oklahoma when I left”? Lincoln is correct, he did not recruit them out of Oklahoma. They chose to go into the Portal on their own. Should Riley then say, “Darn, it’s not right for me to take advantage of this?” Those players went to Oklahoma to play for Riley not Oklahoma.

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  9. C’mon Scott. We’re talking semantics. You know full well (and acknowledge) that Riley didn’t “take them from” OK. Those players chose to leave OK, enter the portal, and *follow* Riley to USC.

    Your comment is disingenuous. But I appreciate your continued bashing of Cowherd.

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      2. Colin Cowherd The biggest blow hard on sports radio today, always comparing Apple’s to oranges to fit his bogus ass narratives. His act got old a long time ago. Although I do like when Joe Klatt comes on once a week and calls him out on his bull shyt. Joy Taylor can also be annoying with her snobby ass liberal view points and her dykeish hair do. That’s why a don’t listen or watch clips on you tube as often or as much anymore.

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  10. if wolf WANTS it to be , well then he crams his logic into the formula…one would have to be NUTS to pass on a player because to wolf he is ‘a stolen’ player’ As Riley stated, they were in the portal by their choice,and a good player should be offered,just like high school, or JUCO …

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  11. john,u is so rite,stoopid for theese so called kids to follow him to his new wirk job cuz they onley gonna get him in trubble,like when i folow the yuong poeple to the play grownd and the policy all ways saying ed,we tell u once be four to stay a way from thare and we aint gonna tell u again,so i stand out side the fense and watch but i like rideing the see saw masheen even tho it maiks my tummy feel funny,but its okay,the jugde all ways say ed u like a child,nicest thing any one ever say so not sure y he wunt me to gro up,i like being me,smdh

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    2. Thanks for again giving me credit Ed, but I never said such a thing.

      Besides, you had me a little worried at the start of your essay as to where you were going with it.

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      1. Whenever Ed broaches the “playground” subject we all get a little worried…
        #OrWhenHeStartsTalkingAboutThingsThatMakeHim”FeelFunny”
        #[NoOneKnowsHowToWalkTheRazor’sEdgeBetterThanEd]…

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  12.   When I was a kid I was a big time football fan(both college and pro) back in the 1950’s. My dad was a auto mechanic in Long Beach California. One time,on his day off, he was going to pick up his paycheck. He took me with him so that I could meet one of their car salesmen. The guys name was Johnny Olszewski. He was a star NFL running back for the Chicago Cardinals who played in a number of pro bowls. I even had his football card in my football card collection. He would play football in Chicago in the winter and sell cars in Long Beach during the rest of the year. 
    Back then, those guys played for the love of the game. Now it’s all about money. Back then their loyalty was to their coaches, teammates, fans and to the game itself. Today their loyalty is to one thing and one thing ONLY…..the almighty dollar.
    All this NIL stuff is going to ruin college football. You want an NCAA championship?…..BUY ONE! You’ll never convince me that Texas A&M all of a sudden(out of the blue) comes up with the greatest recruiting class in the history of college football without paying these players big time. They didn’t go there because they loved Texas A&M. Same with Texas. They were 5-7 last year and they still finish 5th in the country in recruiting?

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    1. CW got $2.5 LARGE just from Dr. Dre Beats. That guy is going to take an initial pay cut in the NFL.

      #NotAsMuchForThePaintedNails
      #StillShortOfBama/Lsu

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      1. I was kinda hoping the painted nails thing wouldn’t make the trip with Caleb —but now that he owns a nail polish company ………
        #If BarkleyGotInTroubleWithNCAAForDeflatingFootballs…
        #..WhatHappensWhenCalebGetsNailPolishOnThem?

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      2. But the NFL has a draft so the players originally have go wherever they are placed. Eventually, those teams will have to compete financially for these players but those teams are owned by rich people. They all have the money to compete. In the last 15 super bowls there have been 12 different champs. In the last 15 years of college football there have only been 8 different teams that have won NC’s. The ones who have the most money to pour into their programs keep winning. Now with these NIL’s you can really spend big money legally. Only some of the colleges have the money like a drunken sailor to compete financially. And those are the teams that will win big.

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  13. As Wally would say to the Beaver – “Cut it out ya little goof!” It was no coincidence that as long as Clay was the coach Player / alums stayed away. It was THAT embarrassing.It’s been tough driving around with Trojan garb on my truck – but this is the dawn of a new day. Pride in Trojan football is being restored and I believe former players will flock to games in no short order.Their absence didn’t boost recruiting, either.None the less – Clay pumped out the sunshine and the naive president bought it.In the immortal words of Richard Crenna – “IT”S OVER JOHNNY….IT’S OVER!”

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    1. “…Tony Dow as Wally, and Jerry Mathers as the Beaver”.

      RIP Eddie Haskel. Can’t help but think of him when I pass the Haskel exit near the 405-101 interchange.

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      1. When I was a little baby deputy prosecutor, Officer Ken Osmond [Eddie Haskel] helped me get ready for my first DUI case at Hill Street Branch —couldn’t have been nicer. RIP indeed.

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      3. June went WAY outside of her comfort zone in “Airplane” —actually Leslie Neilson, Kareem, Lloyd Bridges, Bob Stack, Robert Graves —they all did. Bless them.

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Technically Riley is correct. He wasn’t making unsolicited contact with OU players that didn’t enter the portal. Caleb W considered several other schools and all 3 could’ve returned to OU. More will come after spring practice.

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    1. Isn’t it nice to have a coach who looks good answering questions? I was getting so sick of that last dumb fuck parading his bullshit 24/7……

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  15. Leave it all to the Beaver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    I mean the real Beaver Cleaver.

    Mike Bohn reminds of Ward Cleaver.. and Carol Folt reminds me of Eddie Haskell the troublemaker.

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    2. Remember when Johnny Carson read the fake TV Guide blurb about “Things get out of hand when Wally and Beaver practice fudge packing in their parents’ bedroom in preparation for a school contest” ?

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      1. UCLA….AND… USC have been thinking about each other for the last week or so. Okay. We’re both done with the prelims. Now, it’s on!
        #MayTheBetterSchool[Us]Win[AndEmbarrassTheOtherSchool]

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  17. USC gettin’ bailed out by the tall-ass Australian white kid out of Mater Dei who’d made all of two baskets prior to this game. He’s 3-4 from 3 here in the second half. I’ve watched a ton of games and don’t remember him even getting on the court.

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    1. Another close call. Though for the life of me, how is westwood tech number 12 after losing 2 in a row, including giving up 87 to Bobby Hurley’s ASU team.

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      1. It doesn’t matter, 67. We either beat UCLA and move up….or don’t and get tossed outta the top 25….
        #PutUpOrShutUpTimeHasFinallyArrived

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  20. Shoot anything less than 40% against the Bruins on Saturday, and the Trojans will get blown out. Let’s hope the shooting improves, and that Issiah Mobley is able to play. Midget Mick wants this one after being embarrased by the Trojans since he started at UCLA so SC better come out of the gate quick to match their intensity.

    Andy, we need some shooters you got the inside game down fine we need more options when teams plug up the inside lanes.

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    1. It’s the same dude’s that were draining threes in last years tournament and for the first however many games in row they won to start the season. It’s exactly why I didn’t mouth off after the Arizona game. Sometimes you’re just not hitting shots or go cold at an inopportune time. It happens. I do give Enfield props for throwing the Aussie out there and junking up his defense. Junking things up works so well in college ball.
      The great Tim Floyd was the master of this.

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    2. The problem is SC offense that Enfield refuses to change despite everyone having seen the Gonzaga tutorial from the tourney on how to stop it.

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    1. Admittedly, I was done with Bauer, even if it was proven consensual (not sure how you just beat the shit out of a woman??).
      I thought it was a no-brainer, he’d be convicted, but it there’s more to it, that the public wasn’t privvy to, who knows?
      The wives of Dodger players will lose their shit if Bauer comes back to team.
      Regardless, dude is a head-case.

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  24. So you expected Riley to say what??? “I stole Oklahoma players and encouraged them to enter the transfer portal” – Really??? Is that what you expected?

    Of course he was going to say that he didnt steal the players from OK and of course, those players had to enter the transfer portal and then see if Riley pursued them and if they were interested in USC. I’m not getting why this is even an issue.

    Riley is a effective communicator. Everyone in a position of authority engages in some amount of fabrication. It is called media training you dont answer questions you dont want to answer. Our society is simply not capable of handling real truth.

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