Urban Meyer Sends Blunt Message to Lincoln Riley originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The USC Trojans have had just one double-digit-win season since 2018. Having gone a disappointing 7-6 during his cast’s first season in the Big Ten, Lincoln Riley is under pressure to do better this time around.

Former Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer turned the heat up on Riley during a conversation with Colin Cowherd on Tuesday.

“I guess the way I’ve always looked at USC is I equate them to Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, and Florida,” Meyer said. “I’ve always looked at USC as one of the top five jobs in America. I’ve got a lot of respect for Lincoln Riley, and I promised myself I would never call for jobs — because I’m not gonna do that. However, when seven (or) eight wins is acceptable at USC, that’s when I don’t know. I don’t agree with that.

“I think you take a five-hour net and drop it on USC and you see the best players in the country. … They have the No. 1 recruiting class in the country right now. Shouldn’t they have that every year? I mean, USC is USC.”

According to 247Sports, Riley and the Trojans have earned 28 commitments in the Class of 2026, including five-stars Keenyi Pope and Mark Bowman. Meyer wants to see results before that crop of players arrives in Los Angeles.

“I think they’re gonna have a great year and I think we’re not gonna have to (have) this conversation,” Meyer said. “But, go 8-5 at Ohio State and see what happens.”

Related: Lincoln Riley Makes His Thoughts on NFL Coaching Interest Extremely Clear

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.