Lincoln Riley billboard. Nov 29, 2021; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum video board message welcoming Lincoln Riley as Southern California Trojans head coach. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The USC Trojans have a new coach in Lincoln Riley and former Trojans quarterback Matt Leinert is just as surprised as the rest of us.

The Heisman Trophy winner appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday to discuss the new USC head coach and figured the Pac-12’s rebuilding powerhouse program had its sights set on someone else. That said, he wasn’t surprised to see the school make a big move like this.

“They had Lincoln on the radar from day one,” Leinart said. “I was shocked, to be honest with you, I thought it was going to be Matt Campbell. I was hearing the rumors the day before that Matt Campbell is probably the guy, which I would have been happy with, he’s a really good football coach.”

The move to Riley has already started paying off. The Trojans received a verbal commitment from five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson.

Leinart also said that he thinks Riley will be able to turn USC back into the must-see program that it used to be when he played there.

“You win, fans love you,” said Leinart. “Especially at a place like USC…USC has to be good, fans will show up. Lincoln Riley will sell out the Coliseum next year. that place will be full next year.”

When the Trojans were among the best teams in the nation, the Coliseum was rocking and USC was the toast of Los Angeles. If Riley can live up to the hype, they might just get back to that once more.

[Pat McAfee Show]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.