Colin Cowherd Says Lincoln Riley Unfireable Amid USC Financial Strains

College football analyst Colin Cowherd has repeatedly asserted that Lincoln Riley, head coach of the USC Trojans, is effectively "unfireable" despite the team's mediocre recent performances. Cowherd emphasizes that the massive financial commitments schools have made to players through NIL deals, such as USC spending $18 million on NIL and $300 million on facilities, make it financially impractical to buy out Riley's contract, which reportedly could cost upwards of $72 million, plus paying a new coach. This financial reality, combined with the difficulty schools face in maintaining NIL payments, protects coaches like Riley and others such as Brian Kelly at LSU from being fired, regardless of team success. Riley's first season at USC was strong, but subsequent seasons have seen declining records, leading to speculation about his job security, which Cowherd dismisses. While Cowherd predicts the Trojans may continue to struggle to compete with top conference teams like Oregon, he notes the program's strong recruiting class and defensive talent. Overall, the NIL era has altered the coaching landscape by creating financial barriers to coaching changes, thereby securing the jobs of high-profile coaches despite underwhelming team performance.