USC QB Jayden Maiava admits Paul Finebaum's attacks on Lincoln Riley bother the Trojans

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava has admitted that Paul Finebaum's repeated calls for Lincoln Riley's firing get under the Trojans' skin. He also said the team turns that criticism into motivation and still believes in its head coach.

EssentiallySports reported that Maiava, who has played three seasons under Riley, called his time with the coach unbelievable and said everyone inside the program knows what kind of coach Riley is. "Yes, it does bother us, you know, but we use it as, you know, just fuel to, you know, continue to inspire people," Maiava said, according to the outlet. He went further and called Riley the best coach in the country.

The latest round of criticism started after USC lost 41-27 to Oregon at home on September 26. The Trojans came back to tie the game in the fourth quarter, then gave up two straight touchdowns late. Oregon gained 504 total yards and converted half of its third downs. Afterward, the ESPN analyst praised Ducks coach Dan Lanning and called Riley a "fraud," saying the coach was dragging his program down. On ESPN's First Take, Finebaum argued that paying roughly $70 million to move on from Riley would be worth it.

Finebaum has been saying this for a while. EssentiallySports noted that in 2024 he said he would have fired Riley himself if he were USC's athletic director, calling the tenure a disaster and questioning whether Riley can build a defense.

The numbers give critics plenty to work with. The Oregon loss dropped Riley to 5-15 against ranked opponents at USC. Citing USC Trojans On SI, the outlet reported that Riley's 39-19 record through 58 games matches Clay Helton's over the same stretch, but Helton went 10-16 against ranked teams. Riley has not reached the College Football Playoff in his first four seasons. The closest he came was in 2022, when USC went 11-1 in the regular season and then lost the Pac-12 title game to Utah.

The Oregon game brought other problems too. Linebacker Desman Stephens II was suspended for one game after a hit that injured Ducks quarterback Dante Moore and his celebration while Moore was being treated. Finebaum called the episode an "utter disgrace." Students in the USC section chanted for Riley's firing.

Firing Riley would be expensive. CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported on September 28 that his buyout is believed to be about $70 million. FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt estimated that a full coaching change, including assistants' buyouts, a new staff and rebuilding the roster, could cost $100 million to $120 million.

Riley has tried to toughen up the defense, most notably by hiring former TCU head coach Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator in January. Last week the Trojans got some breathing room. They won 31-23 at Penn State on October 10, and Maiava threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns. That road win eased the pressure for now, though questions about Riley's long-term future at USC are likely to come back with each result the rest of the way.