Lincoln Riley Plans to Utilize Pete Carroll With USC Football

Legendary USC football head coach Pete Carroll announced earlier this week that he was returning to the university to teach a class.

Read more: Pete Carroll Returning to USC in New Role

Carroll was the head coach of the USC football team from 2001-09 and is credited for revitalizing a program that struggled mightily in the 1990s.

Under Carroll, the Trojans went 97-19, winning four Rose Bowls and two National Championships. They spent a national record 33 weeks as the Associated Press’ No. 1 ranked team and had an unbelievable 34-game winning streak across 2003 and 2004.

Carroll left for the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 and was there until this offseason when the two sides agreed to part ways. While there were questions about Carroll’s future in football, for now, he’s decided to teach a class at USC.

That doesn’t mean he won’t be helping the football team, though.

On Thursday, current USC head football coach Lincoln Riley was asked about Carroll returning to USC and potentially working with the football team in some capacity. Riley said the team would be “crazy” to not utilize the legendary head coach in some way.

“I’d love to have him. He’s great,” Riley said to reporters. “Coach has been great to me. We’ve had a chance to catch up pretty often, check in with each other. He’s been a great resource and a great person to be able to pick his brain. He’s been very good to me. I’m excited he’s going to be here more, and we’d be crazy not to take advantage of having him around. Whether it’s an official role or not, he’s made it very clear that we’ve got a good open line of communication.”

Anything Carroll could offer to the USC football program would be a huge win. The Trojans are entering a new era in 2024 after Caleb Williams was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Moreover, the Trojans are making their Big Ten debut this season after playing their final season in the Pac-12 in 2023.

The Trojans had a disappointing 7-5 regular season last year but did win the Holiday Bowl over the Louisville Cardinals.

Miller Moss has been named Williams’ successor at quarterback. He had an impressive showing in last year’s 42-28 Holiday Bowl victory, completing 23 of 33 passes for 372 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception.

It will now be Moss’ job to lead the Trojans to glory in their first year in the Big Ten — but maybe he and Riley will have some help in the form of Carroll.