USC Trojans President Carol Folt announced somewhat surprisingly her intention to retire on July 1st, 2025. She leaves behind a polarizing legacy of controversial social responses along with several moonshot initiatives, one of which was to transform athletics.
While the success or impact of that aspiration won’t be actualized on her watch, she has set the intention in motion for the Trojans to thrive in their new BIG-10 era. However, Folt’s retirement is significant for Lincoln Riley – as now all four seminal figures, namely, Folt, Rick Caruso, Mike Bohn, and Brandon Sosna, who were the official university representative brain trust responsible for bringing Riley to the USC Trojans, are on longer with the university in a formal capacity.
What theory of organizational change suggests is without direct responsibility, authority, and accountability of hiring decisions, the subsequent individuals in these roles have the luxury of being more cautious and conservative in their forward thinking with Riley representing more as “a hand dealt to the role,” rather than an intentional strategic choice. That, along with the massive buyout, only further reinforces the notion of Riley most likely being safe through 2026 on the job.
But what do you think?
VOTE NOW: Does a new President give Lincoln Riley more or less rope within USC Trojans Athletics?
