Lincoln Riley announces USC sports performance director’s exit

When Lincoln Riley was first hired by USC, in the fall of 2021, he brought four staffers with him on the plane from Norman, Oklahoma to Los Angeles. Among those four was Bennie Wylie, who’d spent the previous four years as Riley’s strength and conditioning coach at Oklahoma.

After three more seasons working with Riley at USC, their collaboration came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday as Riley announced that USC is parting ways with Wylie, its director of football sports performance, three days after the Trojans wrapped their spring football practice.

Wylie‘s exit was “strictly a football decision,” according to a person familiar with the situation not authorized to speak publicly. Wylie, by all accounts, was well-liked within the program and beloved by many players who viewed him as critical to their development.

But Riley, the source said, felt USC would be better positioned for future success by moving on.

“We are grateful for the many contributions Coach Wylie has made to our program through the last three seasons,” Riley said in a statement. “He has been an outstanding role model to our young men. This is a difficult decision, but we are committed to positioning our football program to compete for national championships as we continue to move forward into the 2025 season and beyond.”

The timing of Wylie’s exit, immediately following spring practice, is peculiar given that USC players had already participated in three months of offseason training led by Wylie. But according to a source, there were no issues or controversies that prompted his departure.

Wylie, a former running back at Sam Houston State, served as strength and conditioning coach at Texas (2011-13), Tennessee (2010) and Texas Tech (2003-09) prior to joining Riley at Oklahoma in 2018.