Lincoln Riley has landed on the 2026 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List, adding another line to a résumé that already stacks up with the best in the sport. USC’s head coach was one of 28 coaches recognized on the list.
The Bear Bryant Award goes to a college football coach each January and is presented to someone whose work reflects grit, integrity and a winning approach to coaching and life, on and off the field. It is also the only college football coaching honor handed out after the national champion is determined.
Riley’s place on the watch list fits the profile that has followed him throughout his career. He has been a head coach for nine seasons and, according to the source, has achieved more by age 40 than any other head coach in college football history.
He has coached three of the last nine Heisman Trophy winners and is the only head coach to mentor three Heisman-winning quarterbacks. He is also the only coach to have three quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft and holds the most No. 1 overall draft selections in the common draft era.
The recognition comes with USC sitting at 6-1 in the 2026 season. The Trojans’ latest result was a 31-23 win over Penn State on Oct. 10 in front of 114,419 fans at Beaver Stadium, a game played in the thick of the Nittany Lions’ “White Out.”
Riley’s numbers against ranked teams also help explain why he remains in the national conversation. Just 11 Power Four coaches currently own a career winning percentage of .500 or better against ranked opponents, and Riley is among them. The source also points to a 77 percent winning record and three College Football Playoff appearances as part of the standard he has set.
The Bear Bryant Awards are presented annually by the American Heart Association, which uses the event to celebrate coaching excellence, honor Bryant’s legacy and raise awareness and funds for its mission. Bryant died of a heart attack in 1983, 28 days after his final victory and retirement.
The watch list, finalists and eventual winner are selected by the National Sports Media Association and the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Executive Leadership Team, which includes members of the Bryant family and community leaders.
Along with the Coach of the Year, the awards also recognize conference coaches of the year from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and Southeastern Conference, plus one honoree from the combined Group of Six conferences and independent teams. The National Coach of the Year is one of five honors presented at the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Ceremony, presented by Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston. The 41st annual ceremony will be held Wednesday, January 27, 2027, in Houston and will air on CBS Sports Network.
In Other News...
USC Faces A Road Test Fans Can't Ignore Before Ohio State
Before USC even gets to the Ohio State conversation, the Trojans have a tough stop waiting in Madison. Their third road game of the season comes against Wisconsin on Saturday, with NBC putting the matchup in primetime at 4:30 p.m. PT, and it is the kind of setting that tends to expose any team still sorting out its identity away from home.
Todd Blackledge pointed to the challenge Wisconsins physical defense can present, especially for a USC team that has to handle the full road-game grind before a bigger spotlight arrives later. He also singled out quarterback Colton Joseph as a problem for the Trojans because of his running ability, a wrinkle that can make an already demanding trip feel even more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
USC Womens Golf Just Added Support That Says A Lot About Its Standard
USC womens golf has added another sign of how seriously the program is approaching its next phase, announcing a multi-year partnership with Forge as its official bag sponsor. Forge, a golf performance center that works with players at different levels, will be part of a setup designed to give the Trojans more individualized support as they continue building one of the sports most competitive college programs.
The collaboration is about more than branding. It is meant to strengthen the development of USCs student-athletes both on and off the course, which fits the way elite programs now try to separate themselves. For a team that already carries high expectations, the addition of a partner built around personalized growth says plenty about the standard USC is trying to maintain. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Maiava Faces A Proving Ground USC Fans Have Been Waiting For
Jayden Maiava is about to get one of the most revealing stages of USCs season, with the No. 16 Trojans heading to Camp Randall Stadium for a primetime road test against Wisconsin. It is the kind of environment that usually tells you a lot about a quarterback, and Maiava has become central to what USC has built so far.
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell already acknowledged the challenge Maiava presents, a nod to how much attention the Trojans quarterback has drawn heading into Saturday nights 4:30 p.m. PT kickoff on NBC. For USC, this is the sort of proving ground fans have been waiting for, the kind of game that can either reinforce the confidence around Maiava or add a new layer to the questions that follow him on the road. [Read more 🡒]