Riley's last 2 off-seasons tell me he didn't appreciate the pressure to win in Lincoln. That first year they refused to go after a JUCO QB, OT, DT, or any position to speed up the transition. While commendable that he wanted to work with the guys on the team, it also suggest a belief that he had time to transform. He didn't. Firing good friends speaks to an urgency. He has a young team this year and if they falter, it will be tough for him in Lincoln. If they do reasonably well, he will be ok.
I'm of the opinion Riley was brought to Lincoln to win a NC.. he was brought to fix a program. I could be wrong, but he's spent a lot of time and energy fixing recruiting, changing the image and setting up back office roles/departments that were missing/under funded under Bo. Heck, Bo wouldn't even use Huddle and the UNL alumni were giving it to him for free.