The Short Answer: Married to Caitlin Riley
Yes — Lincoln Riley is married. He and Caitlin Riley (née Buckley) married on July 14, 2007, in Marble Falls, Texas. Riley, born September 5, 1983, in Lubbock, Texas, is USC's head coach — the former Texas Tech quarterback, Oklahoma head coach (2017–2021), and offensive mastermind behind three Heisman-adjacent eras (Mayfield, Murray, Caleb Williams).
Caitlin — with Riley since his Texas Tech days — is the mother of Sloan and Stella: the Riley girls, the LA household's center. Nineteen years married, the couple has navigated Lubbock, Norman, and Los Angeles together.
Nineteen years, two daughters, three programs: the Rileys are the sport's traveling family.
The Wedding: July 14, 2007, in Marble Falls
Riley and Caitlin married on July 14, 2007, in Marble Falls, Texas — the Hill Country wedding, the Texas Tech graduate assistant marrying his girl. The wedding — family, the Lubbock circle — came before the ascent: East Carolina, Oklahoma OC, the head jobs.
Nineteen years on, the 2007 Marble Falls wedding — Sloan, Stella; Norman (2017), LA (2021) — is the foundation: the marriage that traveled the country.
Lincoln and Caitlin Riley: Relationship Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Texas Tech days | Together. Riley (Red Raiders QB, then student assistant) and Caitlin are a couple through the Leach era. |
| July 14, 2007 | Wedding. Marble Falls, Texas. |
| 2010s | The climb + the girls: Sloan and Stella arrive through the East Carolina and Oklahoma years. |
| 2017 | Oklahoma head coach. Riley, 33, gets the Sooners job — the Norman move. |
| 2021 | USC. The shocking LA move — the family of four, coast to coast. |
| 2022–2026 | The USC era: as of October 2026, the Rileys are LA's football family. |
Texas Tech to USC is the story: Caitlin knew Riley the GA, not the $10M man — the 2007 wedding, the 19 years, the three time zones. In coaching — where the moves break families — the Riley 19 years are the constant.
Who Is Caitlin Riley?
Caitlin Riley (née Buckley) — Lincoln's wife of 19 years — is the Texas Tech-era partner: the woman who married the GA and moved to three programs. Her 2007–2026 chapter — Sloan, Stella; Lubbock, Norman, LA — is the coach's-wife journey: the household CEO through the sport's most-watched moves.
As of October 2026, she remains the family's anchor: the wife, the mother of two, the LA matriarch.
The Family: Sloan and Stella
The Riley daughters — Sloan and Stella — are the LA household's center: the coach's girls, the program's unofficial royalty. Riley — the 43-year-old head coach — is, by all accounts, the devoted dad: the two, the practices, the family.
The household — the marriage (2007), the girls, the moves — is the sport's traveling family: USC's first family, in full.
Riley's 2026: USC's Mastermind
Riley's 2021–2026 USC chapter — the shocking hire, the Caleb Williams Heisman (2022), the Big Ten move — has been the mastermind's LA era: the offensive genius, now the program-builder. His 2024–2026 run — the contention, the recruiting — is Troy's return.
As of October 2026, 43, 19 years married, two daughters: the coach's personal and professional peaks, aligned — with Caitlin, the Texas Tech girl, at the center.
The Bigger Picture: Nineteen Years, Three Time Zones
Lincoln and Caitlin Riley's story — Texas Tech to July 14, 2007, Marble Falls; Sloan, Stella; Norman, LA — is coaching's traveling romance: 19 years, three programs, the GA and his girl. No marriage in the sport has the mileage — or the loyalty — this one does.
As of October 2026, the answer to "who is Lincoln Riley's wife" is Caitlin Riley — his Texas Tech sweetheart, his 2007 bride, the mother of his two daughters.
The Leach Disciple: Texas Tech
Texas Tech — the 2003–2006 quarterback years (the walk-on), the 2007–2009 GA years, Mike Leach — is Riley's origin: the Lubbock kid, the Air Raid heir. The Tech chapter — the clipboard, the concepts — made him the disciple: the quarterback, the play-caller.
Caitlin — the Tech-era girl, the July 2007 bride (Marble Falls) — was the origin's love: the Lubbock years, the GA grind, the wedding. The 2003–2009 span — the player, the GA, the bride — is the marriage's start: the Red Raiders, the sweethearts.
As of October 2026 — 19 years married, the USC head coach — Tech is the root: the walk-on, the wife, the $10M man. The disciple — the master.
East Carolina: The OC Breakthrough
East Carolina — the 2010–2014 offensive coordinator years, the Pirates, the breakthrough — is Riley's coming-out: the 29-year-old OC, the points, the name. The ECU chapter — the 2013–2014 explosions — made him the hot commodity: the play-caller, the future.
Caitlin and the girls — Sloan, Stella, the young family — were the ECU years' home front: the Greenville, the babies, the climb. The 2010–2014 span — the OC, the household — is the marriage's middle: the coordinator, the mother.
As of October 2026, ECU — the breakthrough — is the launch: the 2015 Oklahoma OC gig, the ascent. The Pirate — the Sooner.
Oklahoma OC: The Heisman Factory
Oklahoma — the 2015–2016 OC years, Baker Mayfield, the Heisman factory — is Riley's masterpiece prelude: the 2015–2016 offenses, the Mayfield magic, the 2017 head-coach handoff. The OC chapter — the points, the prizes — was the audition: the 32-year-old, the future.
The family — the Norman arrival, the girls, the 2015–2016 years — was the factory's home front: the Heismans, the household. The 2015–2016 span — the OC, the wife — is the timeline: the coordinator, the contender's wife.
As of October 2026, the OU OC years — the factory — are the legend: the Mayfield, the Murray (recruited), the handoff. The OC — the head coach.
Oklahoma HC: 2017-2021
Oklahoma — the 2017–2021 head coach years, the 55-10 record, the four Big 12 titles, the three Playoffs — is Riley's first head-coaching act: the 33-year-old hire, the Mayfield-Murray-Hurts Heismans, the dominance. The Norman chapter — the wins, the quarterbacks — was the coronation: the kid, the king.
Caitlin — the Norman first lady (2017–2021) — was the reign's queen: the 2017 hire, the titles, the 2021 shock. The five years — the 55 wins, the family — are the marriage's Norman era: the wife, the champion's wife.
As of October 2026, OU — the 2017–2021 years — is the first act: the 55-10, the Heismans, the LA exit. The Sooner — the Trojan.
The USC Shock: November 2021
November 28, 2021 — the USC hire, the shocking Sunday, the coast-to-coast — is the move: the Oklahoma exit, the Los Angeles arrival, the $10M man. The shock — the Norman grief, the LA glee — was the sport's stunner: the Sooner, the Trojan.
The family — Caitlin, Sloan, Stella, the cross-country move — was the shock's human side: the Norman goodbye, the LA hello. The 2021 winter — the hire, the house hunt — was the marriage's biggest move: the wife, the Trojan's wife.
As of October 2026 — the fifth USC season — the shock is the era: the 2022 Heisman (Caleb Williams), the Big Ten, the contention. The 2021 move — the 2026 reality.
USC 2026: The Mastermind's Era
USC 2026 — the fifth season, the Big Ten Trojans, the contention — is Riley's LA era: the 2021 shock, the 2022 Heisman (Caleb Williams), the rebuild. The 2024–2026 seasons — the Big Ten battles, the recruiting — are Troy's return: the mastermind, the program.
Caitlin — the 19-year wife, the LA matriarch, Sloan and Stella's mother — is the era's family: the 2021 move, the 2026 home. The 2007 Marble Falls wedding — the 19 years — is the foundation: the Tech girl, the Trojan's wife.
As of October 2026, USC — the era — is the present: the 43-year-old, the 19-year marriage, the two girls. The Lubbock kid — the LA man.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Lincoln Riley's wife?
Caitlin Riley (née Buckley) — his wife since July 14, 2007, together since his Texas Tech days.
When did Lincoln Riley get married?
July 14, 2007, in Marble Falls, Texas — 19 years ago as of 2026.
How many kids do Lincoln and Caitlin Riley have?
Two daughters: Sloan and Stella.
Who is Caitlin Riley?
Lincoln's wife of 19 years — with him since Texas Tech, the mother of two, through Lubbock, Norman, and LA.
What team does Lincoln Riley coach?
USC — the Trojans' head coach since November 2021, the offensive mastermind.
Where was Lincoln Riley before USC?
Oklahoma — the Sooners' head coach (2017–2021), after the Texas Tech and ECU assistant years.
How old is Lincoln Riley?
Born September 5, 1983 — 43 years old as of October 2026.