LOS ANGELES — If it weren't for Dave Nichol, Lincoln Riley will tell you, he might not have made it as a college football coach.
It was Nichol who gave him his shot as a walk-on quarterback at Texas Tech and taught him the intricacies of the Air Raid offense. When Riley hung up his cleats to be a student assistant with the Red Raiders, it was Nichol who showed him the ropes, who answered his incessant questions, who taught him all that it meant to be a coach.
It was Nichol who first believed in him, and Riley would never forget that. When he was hired as USC's coach in November, there was no doubt in Riley's mind he'd ask Nichol to join the staff.
