Lincoln Riley isn’t just embracing the new era of college football - he’s leaning into it. On Monday’s appearance on FS1’s The Herd, the USC head coach framed the rise of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) as a long-overdue correction to a sport that’s long been dominated by one region. According to Riley, the playing field is finally starting to level out.
“Now there’s not just one part of the country paying players,” Riley told Colin Cowherd. “Everybody’s able to do it, and it’s a great thing because I think it’s been able to create a more level playing field.”
He didn’t name names, but the implication was clear: the SEC’s long-standing dominance - both on the field and in recruiting - is no longer a given. With the Big Ten capturing the last three national titles and the SEC missing the championship game entirely during that stretch, Riley’s comments were as much a statement about the sport’s shifting power dynamics as they were a celebration of NIL.
But not everyone is buying the narrative.
Analyst Graham Coffey took to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday and didn’t mince words. He accused Riley - and coaches like him - of rewriting history while engaging in the very practices they now claim to oppose.
“There is a trend now where coaches are vilifying the SEC to excuse or dismiss the past,” Coffey wrote. “In many cases they are saying this while actively bending/breaking rules by promising $$$ way over the rev share cap and way over market value and telling prospects they’ll figure out a way around the cap later.”
Coffey’s point wasn’t just about Riley - it was about a broader pattern across college football. As NIL continues to reshape the recruiting landscape, some coaches are positioning themselves as champions of fairness and reform. But behind the scenes, Coffey argues, many are playing just as aggressively - and sometimes just as recklessly - as the programs they once criticized.
And the numbers back up Riley’s claim that NIL is changing the game.
Texas Tech reportedly shelled out nearly $30 million in NIL deals last season - and turned that investment into 12 wins and a Big 12 championship. Ohio State spent $20 million during their 2024 title run.
Even Indiana, long considered a basketball school, won a national championship with financial backing from billionaire Mark Cuban. That kind of success simply didn’t happen in the old system, when powerhouse programs like Alabama could stash five-stars on the third string.
Riley’s argument is that NIL has opened doors for programs that used to be on the outside looking in. And USC is a prime example of how quickly fortunes can change when a school adapts.
After struggling to keep pace in the early days of NIL, the Trojans made a major move in January 2025, hiring general manager Chad Bowden to modernize their approach. The result? USC landed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026, a huge turnaround for a program that had fallen behind in the NIL arms race.
Tight end Mark Bowman is expected to be one of the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in college football next season, and in a late recruiting coup, USC reportedly upped its NIL offer to five-star edge rusher Luke Wafle in the final hours, flipping him from Ohio State.
So yes, Riley is celebrating the new landscape - but it’s also clear he’s playing the game as hard as anyone else. The debate now isn’t just about who’s spending, but how they’re doing it, and whether the lines between innovation and violation are being blurred in the process.
The bottom line? College football’s balance of power is shifting.
NIL has created new opportunities, new contenders, and new controversies. And as the dollars keep flowing, the battle over who controls the narrative - and the recruits - is only just heating up.