The clock is ticking on Lincoln Riley at USC, and insiders say the pressure has never been higher. After failing to deliver a national title — or even a College Football Playoff appearance — since arriving in Los Angeles, the Trojans are reportedly turning to an unlikely savior: artificial intelligence.
The AI Gamble Nobody Saw Coming
According to a report from On3, USC is promoting Conor McQuiston to the newly created role of Director of AI — a move that sources close to the program claim could either revolutionize the sport or expose just how desperate the Trojans have become.
McQuiston’s job, as described by the report, sounds straight out of a tech startup: he’ll allegedly build AI models using program data to identify competitive advantages in everything from game planning to scouting. But for a fanbase starving for a return to the glory days of Pete Carroll, this feels like a Hail Mary pass thrown from the C-suite, not the sideline.
Who Is This Guy?
The hire raises more questions than answers. McQuiston’s resume includes a stint at Prize Picks as an associate data scientist for game operations focused on the NFL, and two years with the league’s Next Gen Stats division as a lead research analyst. Notably, he spent a year at Michigan as an undergraduate analytics manager — the same 2021 season when the Wolverines went 11-1 before falling to Georgia in the CFP semifinal.
One unnamed source told us: “It’s a bold move, but frankly, it smells like a program that’s out of ideas on the football side.”
What’s Really at Stake for Riley?
Since taking over at USC, Riley has produced a middling 16-10 record in Big Ten play and exactly zero conference championships. The team’s last national title came in 2004 — before most of its current recruits were born. Despite a top-25 finish in 2025, the Trojans have not seriously contended for a playoff spot, and expectations for 2026 are reportedly tepid at best.
“This is Riley’s last shot,” a Pac-12 insider speculated. “If this AI director doesn’t deliver results, we could be looking at a coaching search sooner rather than later.”
USC’s lone conference title since Carroll’s departure came back in 2017 under Clay Helton. Riley’s best chance came in 2022, when the Trojans lost the Pac-12 title game to Utah and then fell to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl. Now, the program is reportedly betting that algorithms can outthink opponents in a way Riley’s schemes have not.
Tech Meets Trench Warfare
Whether McQuiston’s models can actually predict an opponent’s defensive adjustments or identify a sleeper recruit remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: in the cutthroat world of college football, where every edge matters, USC is reportedly hoping that ones and zeros can finally bring home a crystal football.
Fans are watching — and they’re running out of patience.
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