"Boulevard of broken dreams": CFB fans baffled by Lincoln Riley's red carpet gesture for top recruits taking official visit

USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley went the extra mile for recruiting weekend. The program holds the No.1 position when it comes to ranking the recruiting class of 2026, and Riley is going all out to secure some of the most elite prospects for next year.

On Saturday, 'Rivalsdotcom' shared a video of the flashy welcome that Lincoln Riley prepared for recruiting weekend. In the clip, we see the red carpet being set out for the recruits as they enter the campus.

They were also greeted with music and loud cheers from the people gathered, making it feel like a party more than a recruiting visit.

You can check out USC's flashy welcome to the recruits below:

Fans shared their thoughts and reactions to Lincoln Riley's welcome to the recruits.

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams," one fan commented.

"Defending Champion of Las Vegas Bowl," another fan said sarcastically.

"Treating people like they are LeBron without doing a damn thing brug.... no wonder we see super senior 7th year 8 college transfers," a fan said.

"Rolling out the red carpet for an underperforming program and money that leads to nothing and Las Vegas Bowl appearances," another fan wrote.

"The things you do when you finish 7-6 and 7-5, and outside the top 20 the last 2 years," this fan said.

"Coach sucks 8-4 season incoming," one fan commented.

Lincoln Riley took over as the head coach of the Trojans in 2022. They finished with an 11-3 record in his debut campaign with the program, narrowly missing the playoffs due to their Pac-12 title loss to Utah.

However, the past two seasons have been underwhelming for Riley and his team. USC finished with fewer than 10 wins in each season while failing to become a contender for the playoffs. In 2024, they became a part of the Big Ten following the conference realignment.

Paul Finebaum harshly criticises Lincoln Riley ahead of 2025 campaign

Analyst Paul Finebaum did not mince his words when talking about Riley and his stint with the Trojans. On his show, Finebaum blasted the coach after a caller asked him if USC would be a contender for the national championship once again.

The ESPN broadcaster discussed how the program has some elite talent capable of winning a national championship. However, he pointed to Riley as the weakest link, who is holding the Trojans back from unleashing their full potential.

"I do believe USC is capable because there is so much to offer here. They just happen to have a fraud as their coach," Finebaum said.

USC last won a national championship in 2004. However, this victory was vacated following an investigation by the NCAA into violations committed by the University's football and basketball programs.

About the author

Priyam is a College Sports content executive at Sportskeeda with a master's in Advertising and Marketing Management and over two years of experience as a writer. When it comes to reporting, Priyam believes doing a technical deep dive is one of his biggest strengths and he loves to dissect plays on the field and factor out the strengths/weaknesses of players.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Priyam sees Nick Saban as the greatest coach of all time. He is also rooting for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milore after following his progress over the years. The Michigan Wolverines football team is another of his favorite programs and it will be interesting to see how both these teams perform in new coaching eras.

When he’s not reporting, Priyam is usually at the gym or indulging in music. He has been a guitarist and a drummer for the past 17 years and finds his time of peace when playing music.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra