Lincoln Riley says he’s been ill with pneumonia, hopes to be back for USC-Cal

Heads turned across college football when Lincoln Riley missed two days of practice due to a then-undisclosed illness shortly after No. 24 USC’s stunning defeat on a last-second field goal to No. 13 Utah that likely knocked the Trojans out of College Football Playoff contention and imperiled star quarterback Caleb Williams‘ chances at winning back-to-back Heisman Trophies.

But Riley returned to practice Wednesday, upon which the school announced that the second-year Trojans head coach is dealing with pneumonia. Riley told reporters during his weekly remote media availability Thursday that he has been ill since last week and his sickness worsened Sunday, causing him to miss a practice for the first time in his 20-year coaching career. He called the experience “excruciating.”

“I’ll do my best to be ready to do my part for the team come Saturday,” Riley said Thursday.

USC plays Cal in Berkeley on Saturday before finishing the regular season against three Pac-12 rivals who are all currently ranked in the AP Top 25: No. 5 Washington, No. 8 Oregon and No. 23 UCLA.

Wide receivers coach and assistant head coach Dennis Simmons would likely fill in as acting head coach if Riley is unable to be on USC’s sideline Saturday. Simmons has been with Riley since the latter’s arrival at Oklahoma as offensive coordinator in 2015 and has been Riley’s assistant head coach at Oklahoma and USC since 2019. Simmons led practice in Riley’s place on Monday and Tuesday and stood in for Riley at both the head coach’s weekly USC radio show appearance Monday and post-practice media availability Tuesday.

Former Arizona Cardinals and Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who joined his longtime friend Riley as an analyst for USC’s football program this season, could reportedly also be promoted to an acting assistant coach role in Riley’s absence.

Multiple people around USC’s program told FOX Sports that Riley had indeed appeared visibly ill starting with last week’s remote Thursday media session and noted he was coughing heavily before speaking with reporters after the loss to Utah on Saturday, shutting down outside speculation that his absence was in any way connected to the outcome of the game.

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Riley’s voice still sounded weaker and more labored than normal Thursday, but the USC coach said he has been feeling “a lot” better over the past few days. He said this is the first time in his life he has contracted pneumonia and does not have a specific timetable for when he will return to full health.

The Trojans are 6-2 and 4-1 in Pac-12 play this season and have dropped back-to-back games to Notre Dame and Utah after a 6-0 start.