The longtime sports talk radio host has been highly critical of one head coach, in particular, in recent years, and has reiterated his feelings towards him once again this week

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum has gone straight for the jugular when discussing Lincoln Riley’s head coaching tenure at USC, claiming that he would have fired him “a year ago” following another underwhelming campaign in 2024.

The longtime sports talk radio host has been highly critical of the 41-year-old ever since he made the switch from Oklahoma in 2022, suggesting he should have been fired on multiple occasions and even calling him a “fraud” after failing to live up to the high expectations in Los Angeles.

It comes not long after Riley was branded as “pathetic” for repeatedly casting doubt on the future of the Trojans’ college football rivalry with Notre Dame, while Finebaum recently made headlines for producing one of the most agonizing interviews live on TV with Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.

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The latter has now caught the eye once more with his latest scathing assessment of Riley, taking to his self-titled show on the SEC network to state that if it were up to him, he would have fired the former Texas Tech quarterback before the previous season.

“I would have fired Lincoln Riley a year ago,” Finebaum said. “But he’s got about a $60 million buyout. So, it’s very complicated to get rid of him.

“He’s got a big recruiting class coming in, which doesn’t mean anything in the current strata of recruiting. But another bad season and I think everyone out there will finally come to the conclusion that we have; that he is a bust.”

During his five seasons in charge of Oklahoma between 2017-2021, Riley compiled a 55-10 record, won four Big 12 championships and earned three College Football Playoff berths. He also achieved the highest winning percentage in the history of coaches at the OU program.

Since taking over at USC, Riley has accumulated a less impressive – yet still respectable – 26–14 record. In his first campaign, he picked up where he left off with Oklahoma, leading the Trojans to an 11-3 record and a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Since then, however, things have been on a downward trajectory. During his second season in charge, USC ended at 8-5, while the most recent campaign saw that record drop again to 7-6.

In the SEC, USC’s record read 5-4 in 2023 and 4-5 in 2024, taking Riley’s overall conference record to 17-10. In the latter, the Trojans finished as low as ninth.

The upcoming campaign is arguably Riley’s biggest as USC boss yet, with major improvements needed if he is to save his job. Although, as Finebaum said, his astronomical buyout clause is the one thing working in his favor.

If USC decides to part ways with Riley, it would be the highest buyout in college football history, surpassing Jimbo Fisher’s $77.5m buyout at Texas A&M in November 2023.

USC kicks off its 2025 season with back-to-back home games against Missouri State and Georgia Southern, providing the perfect opportunity to get things off to a good start. Also on the season schedule is the annual rivalry game with Notre Dame on October 18.

Indiana picked up a commitment from 3-star class of 2026 safety Jamar Owens on Friday afternoon.

Owens announced his decision on his Instagram page.  He took an official visit to IU last weekend.

According to the industry average, Owens is the No. 70 safety in the 2026 class.

The 6-foot and 180-pound Owens attends Jonesboro H.S. in Douglasville, Ga.  He had 70 tackles including three for loss, three interceptions and two forced fumbles as a junior.

Owens’ offers included Texas A&M, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Auburn, Texas, Florida State, USC and others.

Indiana now has two safeties in their 2026 class.  Owens joins Florida 3-star Laron Dues.  Overall the class is ranked around No. 30 in the nation.  Here’s the rest of the now 19-player class, with links to more information on each:

INDIANA 2026 CLASS

1. Gabe Hill, Naperville, Illinois, DL (4-star)
2. Henry Ohlinger, Columbus, Ohio, LB/RB (4-star)
3. Kevontay Hugan, Sarasota, Fla., Edge (4-star)
4. Kasmir Hicks, Indianapolis, Indiana, CB/WR (3-star)
5. Sam Simpson, River Falls, Wisconsin, IOL (3-star)
6. Jayreon Campbell, Powder Springs, Georgia, RB (3-star)
7. Cash Herrera, San Diego, California, QB (3-star)
8. Trevor Gibbs, Crown Point, Indiana, TE (3-star)
9. Blake Smythe, Franklin, Indiana, DL (3-star)
10. P.J. MacFarlane, Liberty Township, Ohio, TE (3-star)
11. Kortez Rupert, East St. Louis, Illinois, WR (3-star)
12. Jacob Savage, Union, Kentucky, LB (3-star)
13. Ja’Dyn Williams, Massillon, Ohio, LB (3-star)
14. Rodney White, Towson, Maryland, DL (3-star)
15. Kenton Mondeau, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, OT (3-star)
16. CJ Scifres, Greenwood, Indiana, OL (3-star)
17. Parker Elmore, Columbus, Indiana, TE (3-star)
18. Laron Dues, Sarasota, Florida, S (3-star)

For complete coverage of IU football recruiting, GO HERE.

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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Texas A&M Football Commit Wide Receiver Madden Williams Signs Early NIL Endorsement Deal With Adidas originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Colleges can’t directly use NIL deals as bargaining chips when recruiting high school students, meaning they cannot offer deals as an incentive for the student to commit. However, teams can discuss potential NIL opportunities and students can negotiate deals before they enroll.

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With this gray area, schools that have brand endorsements can highlight these as potential opportunities. For instance, Texas A&M is endorsed by Adidas, Nike, and BSN SPORTS. Aggies are already starting to cash in on these brands — even those still in high school.

Adidas already signed six rising high school seniors to NIL endorsement deals. Texas A&M football’s wide receiver commit Madden Williams is among the group. Wide receiver Tristen Keys, linebacker Tyler Atkinson, wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., wide receiver Calvin Russell, and wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt are the other five athletes that signed with adidas.

Williams is a four-star recruit from Bellflower, Calif. who committed to Texas A&M on Dec. 28, 2024. Out of the six recent Adidas signees, he’s the lowest ranking rising senior. Still though, when he arrives at College Station, he’s expected to be a star in his college career. Williams is the No. 39 wide receiver overall and No, 239 overall athlete. He’s also the No. 23 recruit from California.

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While he’s not officially and Aggie quite yet, the wide receiver is already putting himself in a position to blend well with the team and its brand. Quarterback Marcel Reed and recent transfer KC Concepcion started their NIL endorsement treks ahead of the 2025-26 season. In fact, Concepcion received $2.5 million through his multiple deals with different companies.

Related: Texas A&M Football Class of 2026 Safety Target Ascends To Five-Star Ranking

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.

The House v. NCAA settlement, announced on June 6, will allow college athletic departments to distribute up to $20.5 million in revenue to student-athletes. This decision was met with its fair share of controversy.

Still, the ruling brings potential benefits, especially in leveling the recruiting landscape across Power Four programs when it takes effect on July 1. Illinois head coach Bret Bielema already sees a positive impact and believes it could be the key to ensuring every school competes on equal footing.

Bret Bielema Stresses Importance of NIL Balance Across College Football

Illinois football hasn’t always been the most competitive program. From 2002 to 2023, the Fighting Illini did not see a single season where they won double-digit games.

The program’s trend has taken a turn since Bret Bielema took over in 2021, leading Illinois to a ten-win season in 2024. However, Bielema didn’t experience much success on the recruiting trail until the 2026 cycle.

Illinois currently sits with the 13th-best recruiting class in 2026, which, if it stands, would be the best class in program history.

On the “Triple Option” podcast, Bielema explained that under the new revenue-sharing model, Illinois is finally on an even playing field with other Power Four programs, something he sees as a major factor in the team’s recent recruiting success.

“I know right now we are beating schools I’ve never beaten before,” Bielema said. “We can go head-to-head with any SEC or Big Ten school. I don’t care if it’s Ohio State or the team that finished last in our conference last year. I don’t care if it’s the team that finished first in the SEC or the team that finished last in the SEC.”

Bielema further explained that it doesn’t matter if he’s getting the top recruits in the country or the worst recruits. The only thing that matters is that every program has access to the same recruiting pool.

“I don’t care if we’re all shopping in Louis Viton or we’re all in Walmart,” Bielema said. “As long as we’re all in the same store, I’m good.”

It’s a unique perspective, but it makes a lot of sense as college football enters a revenue-sharing landscape.

With teams capped at $20.5 million to share with their athletes, all programs can offer recruits the same amount. While smaller schools that might not be able to afford that $20.5 million will be at a disadvantage, revenue-sharing at least puts all Power Four programs on the same tier.

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While the Fighting Illini’s recent success on the recruiting trail has a limited sample size, it could be a good sign of things to come in college football as revenue-sharing continues to level the playing field for many programs like Illinois.