Lincoln Riley’s former Oklahoma players let out their frustration about the coach after his surprise departure for the head coach job at USC over the weekend.
On Monday, the Trojans introduced Riley as their new head coach at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The team’s Instagram account shared a photo of Riley and quoted the coach as saying, “This is going to be the mecca of college football.”
The remark drew cryptic responses from Sooners players, including defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas and linebacker Nik Bonitto.
“Told us that last week,” Thomas wrote in the comments. Bonitto added, “LOL.”
Oklahoma president Joe Harroz said Riley’s move came as a surprise, but that the Sooners are excited for the future.
After news of the speedy hire became public, Riley said it was “tough” to leave Oklahoma, “but at the same time, I knew this was the right thing.”
Riley hasn’t acknowledged the social media comments, nor has he posted about his new job — which became public a day after he coached the Sooners in a loss to rival Oklahoma State on Saturday.
He did, though, change his Instagram bio, which now reads, “Head Football Coach for the USC Trojans #FightOn.”
Riley, following the Bedlam Series loss, declared his commitment to the Sooners, while telling reporters he was not taking the head coach job at LSU. Longtime Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly accepted that job this week.
In five seasons with the Sooners, Riley went 55-10.
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