Kliff Kingsbury and Lincoln Riley finally unite: Great fit for both sides

LOS ANGELES — Back when USC hired Kliff Kingsbury as its offensive coordinator in December 2018, the hire made a statement: The Trojans were desperate.

That was widely viewed as a make-or-break move for Clay Helton, who needed someone to revive USC’s offense after the program floundered through a 5-7 season and, subsequently, take him off the hot seat. Simply put, the Trojans needed Kingsbury a lot more than he needed them — as evidenced by the fact his stint lasted a little more than a month before the Arizona Cardinals shockingly hired him as their head coach.

Advertisement

Well, Kingsbury is officially back at USC after the school announced him as a senior offensive analyst on Tuesday morning. Kingsbury’s ties to Lincoln Riley are deep — the Texas Tech roots, the relationship with Mike Leach, coaching against each other in the Big 12, coaching Kyler Murray. Riley, however, was never sure the timing would work out where they’d coach together.

It’s official.

Welcome @KliffKingsbury ✍️‼️✌️ pic.twitter.com/GbhQQoQPNE

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) April 11, 2023

With Kingsbury collecting a nice payout from the Cardinals, this year turned out to be the opportune moment. And Kingsbury’s arrival, as an analyst, serves as another statement: That USC’s program is in a much different — and much healthier state — than it was the last time Kingsbury rolled through the John McKay Center.

“This is not something that he’s just going to come do because he likes some of the people here,” Riley said when talking about the hire on Tuesday. “Professionally, he sees the opportunity that this is right now, which is a cool statement for our program that a guy like that would want to come take this role and help this program take another big step and he recognizes what’s going on. So just another example of where we’re headed and another great bit of momentum for our program.”

Does USC stand to benefit from having Kingsbury in its quarterback room? Absolutely. Kingsbury’s expertise with that position and his offensive knowledge can be beneficial for Riley, Caleb Williams and the rest of the Trojans’ QBs.

And occasionally, he’ll take some responsibilities off the plate of Riley, who coaches the quarterbacks, calls the plays and game plans in addition to serving as the head coach and the face of the program.

“I’ve tried to learn and build the staff to kind of allow me to cover all the bases I need to cover as a head coach,” Riley said. “I’ve got to be whatever the program needs me to be. That’ll be a little different in Year 2 vs. Year 1. That’ll shift every year. … Having guys in different areas that you trust makes a big difference there. As staff positions have opened up, that’s what I’ve continually tried to do, is bring in people that I trust.

Advertisement

“This will be great, and on top of it, having somebody in the room that’s been a former head coach, everybody thinks they know what they like and all that until they sit in that chair. Having somebody that’s done that is invaluable.”

Kingsbury stands to benefit from this arrangement as well. Spending time with Riley and gaining insight into his offense and how he operates as a head coach will help. Working with Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and potential No. 1 pick next April, will surely boost Kingsbury’s resume the next time he enters the job market.

There were some misinformed takes in comment sections and on social media about what Kingsbury will actually do with the Trojans. He’s not going to be asked to recruit — playing for Riley is USC’s main sell anyway. He’s not going to be one of the 10 assistant coaches on the field.

He’s familiar with the roots of Riley’s offense. His experience will aid game-planning efforts throughout the week, and he’ll add a fresh perspective as someone who is new to the program.

But at the end of the day, Riley will still call the plays. It’ll continue to be his offense.

Four years ago, Kingsbury was viewed as a necessity for this program. Now, he’s a luxury item — the kind programs such as Alabama and Georgia have made great use of over the years.

A month ago, Riley checked in with Kingsbury. Just as friends, he said. Kingsbury visited Los Angeles and the two spent some time together.

Riley had an opening in the program after senior offensive analyst Will Harriger accepted an offensive assistant job with the Dallas Cowboys. USC’s coach spoke to a couple of candidates about the job but hadn’t been able to land on the right person.

So he brought it up to Kingsbury in passing.

“He thought about it a little and things just ended up being a great fit for both sides,” Riley said. “He’s obviously got familiarity with our offense, familiarity with a lot of the members on our staff. So I think that certainly made sense.”

Advertisement

USC doesn’t necessarily need Kingsbury. This doesn’t solve the Trojans’ most pressing problem, which is fielding a somewhat competent defense. But after years of falling on its face, USC is starting to act more and more like the big-boy program it aspires to be.

(Photo of Kliff Kingsbury: Norm Hall / Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k21nbWxmbXxzfJFsZmlsX2Z%2FcMHSnGSkpJmbs263yKeerJqlp8ZuuMinmqiknmK%2FqrjEsmY%3D