Lincoln Riley made nearly $12 million in 2024 according to USC’s federal tax records and went 7-6 that season.
That means Riley earned about $1.7 million per victory.
This isn’t exactly earth shattering news given that Riley signed a 10-year, roughly $100 million contract but it does provide a specific number. And it means he is making even more in 2026.
One would think Riley would show a certain amount of humility given his performance and grotesque salary.
Instead, he ends the Notre Dame series, blows off the fans and acts like he is owed a living from USC, while his representation put out word in the offseason that he was available for other jobs.
What a world.
- Meanwhile, Eric Musselman made $5.1 million in 2024. Also overpaid but at least he interacts with the fans.
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
Riley should kiss Mike Bohn’s ring every day.
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KAM: Where is The Bohn-Head today? Last we heard, he faced serious allegations of racial harassment and discrimination. These claims were brought to light by Joyce Bell Limbrick, a former high-ranking official in USC’s athletic department. It was settled out of court last March.
DON: The lawsuit highlighted a pattern of inappropriate behavior and comments made by Bohn, corroborated by multiple sources within the department. He was a class guy when he wanted to be.
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I thought Folt fired him due to sexual harassment, not racial discrimination. The only allegation that I recall at that time was that he said something about how a women in his department dressed. I wished Scott would disclose the specific allegations in the lawsuit for racial discrimination. What were the allegedly inappropriate comments?
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Football can afford Lincoln Riley , and can afford to eat the mistake just like with Helton, Kiffin, and Sarkisian.
USC can’t afford to pay a basketball coach 5.1m they have some of the worst home attendance in the country, and made it once to the Sweet 16 so Musselman is the one who is really overpaid especially since he is being paid at a level as one of the top coaches in the country which he is not, and never will be.
USC paid alot of money to get top talent for next season. With the money spent the Team must make the Sweet 16 with no excuses from Musselman..again in his 3rd season. My gut feeling is the team will make the NCAA tournament after a 5th place finish in the Big 10, and lose in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament.
My point is Musselman is not the right coach for USC basketball, and even with all the hype USC will remain at best an average basketball program even though they are spending alot of money.
Bottom line we have NBA talent, but a terrible basketball coach.
Why did USC not go after Randy Bennett the former St. Mary’s Coach who is now at Arizona State. The guy is a proven winner, recruits players to form a team, and works for a lot less money than Musselman, We need a basketball coach who can coach, and win with less talent on a consistent basis year to year. We also don’t need a basketball coach who pays his son a higher salary than some of his assistants yet he has very little coaching experience.
USC is a “wanna be” in men’s college basketball. I want USC to put the money into the baseball program, and add women’s softball. We have spent close to 15 million on players and coaches for this upcoming season for at best a 1 and done season so don’t tell me USC could not purchase a vacant lot on Vermont or Jefferson to build a small softball diamond with a few bleachers.
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KAM: 135 years since James Naismith invented basketball…
DON: And USC can’t claim one men’s basketball championship, not even a mythical championship decreed by the Helms Bakery!
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Lincoln making news.
Over the years, there have been some big-baller head coaches in college football who, in a way, bankrupted and finessed their programs. Jimbo Fisher is the poster child, and Brian Kelly is the latest example. But what they do have in common is that they both got fired and are now pretty much jobless right now. Then, there’s one head coach out of the Big Ten who had two fewer wins than Brian Kelly in 2024, and made two more million dollars than him, and still holds one of the top 10 highest-paid head coaching jobs: the one and only Lincoln Riley at USC.
https://www.essentiallysports.com/ncaa-college-football-news-big-ten-hc-received-nearly-twelve-m-for-winning-just-seven-games-in-twenty-twenty-four-lincoln-riley-usc-trojans/
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Graded on the same scale that says Newsom & Bass have a done a great job on the number of homeless in our state, makes seven wins a huge success!
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WILEY: SC paid me the big bucks because I took Oklahoma to 3 semi-final playoff games. The Trojans were looking for me to repeat that success with them, but I didn’t guarantee them any wins. SC football was a wreck when I took over and had been since 2010
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DON: The Trojans were looking good with Super Bowl Champ Mr. Darnold after the 2016 season and 2017 Rose Bowl victory. They really hit the skids two seasons after that.
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‘Muscleman’: Like with Wiley over there, SC paid me because of my previous success in taking Arkansas to 3 NCAAs in a row
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