USC hires coach Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma

(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - After more than a decade of underachievement, the USC Trojans landed one of the biggest, brightest names in the game on Sunday.

In a stunning and rare move, one traditional college football powerhouse is swiping another’s highly accomplished coach, Lincoln Riley.

Riley went 55-10 in five seasons leading the Oklahoma Sooners, winning four Big 12 titles and making three college football playoff appearances in his first head coaching job. USC sold the 38-year-old Texan on the chance to return the Trojans to their glory days as an annual national championship contender and the west coast’s premier program.

Riley led the Sooners to yet another 10-win season this year, but Oklahoma’s string of Big 12 titles was snapped when the sooners (10-2) narrowly lost to Oklahoma State on Saturday night. With Oklahoma out of contention for the college football playoff, USC dived in to make a splash.

And important to note, Bob Stoops, who has been a Fox Sports analyst for college football is returning as Oklahoma’s interim head coach to lead the Sooners in their bowl game, the school announced.

Riley took over the program in 2017 when Stoops retired