USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders provided one of the best college football games of the 2023 NFL season on Saturday. While more than 20 NFL teams were in attendance to see the quarterbacks, the coaches are also generating interest.
Riley, age 40, has long been sought after by the NFL.The Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2018, RIley has emerged as one of the best coaches in college football and is well-respected as one of the best offensive minds in the game.
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While multiple NFL teams have expressed interest in Riley over the years, during his stints at USC and Oklahoma, the 2015 Broyles Award winner has remained committed to coaching quarterback Caleb Williams. Once Williams heads for the NFL, though, that’s when things could change.
Meanwhile, Sanders has put the Buffaloes’ football program on the map. After winning a combined five games from 2021-’22, Colorado is poised to blow past that mark in 2023 in Sanders’ first season as head coach.
After attending Saturday’s USC vs Colorado matchup, Peter King of NBC Sports shared several observations on the matchup. He raved about both Williams and Buffaloes’ quarterback Shedeur Sanders having NFL-caliber talent. However, they aren’t the only ones who will generate interest.
King wrote that both Riley and Sanders will get “NFL feels, probably soon.” Sanders has been the talk around the league in recent months, with his success and rising profile attracting the attention of NFL executives and club owners.
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However, luring Sanders away from college football might prove to be far more challenging than hiring Riley. Sanders stated in June and as recently as September that he has zero interest in becoming a head coach in the NFL.
Luring Riley away from USC will also be difficult. The Trojans’ coach lives in a $17.2 million mansion in Los Angeles, his family seems to love the area and his offenses are a perfect fit for college football. If an NFL team wants to hire him, it might have to make Riley one of the highest-paid NFL coaches before he ever coaches a single game at the highest level.
