National college football chatter is landing on the same place for USC: Gary Patterson.
As the 2026 season approaches, USA TODAY Sports is zeroing in on Lincoln Riley’s new defensive coordinator and asking the biggest question around the Trojans. Patterson, the piece noted, “hasn’t held a full-time, on-field role since 2021,” and the real test is what he picked up during his time bouncing around the Power Four after TCU. USC is banking on him to toughen up a defense that got pushed around in the run game last season, with that weakness helping fuel losses to Illinois, Notre Dame and Oregon.
The Trojans’ coordinator move is drawing attention in part because Ohio State is making a big change of its own. The No. 1 team in the country is turning to Arthur Smith on offense after an uneven 2025 season that ended with the Buckeyes being exposed by Miami in the College Football Playoff.
USA TODAY Sports praised Ryan Day’s earlier hire on the other side of the ball, writing that he “definitely earned an A+ for bringing in Matt Patricia as his defensive coordinator last winter. All OSU did last year was rank first nationally in giving up 219.1 yards per game.
This offseason, Day hired another former NFL head coach in Arthur Smith to run the offense. What he unlocks from Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and the Buckeyes will determine the national championship.”
That sets up a coordinator-versus-coordinator storyline that could shape the Big Ten race in 2026, with USC’s Gary Patterson and Ohio State’s Arthur Smith both under the microscope.
In Other News...
Madden Riordan Is Giving USC A New Reason For Safety Optimism
Madden Riordan arrived at USC with the kind of profile that tends to make coaches lean in, and he has only strengthened that buzz since getting on campus. The freshman safety has added weight and muscle since enrolling, and his play throughout spring and fall camps has matched the physical progress. Inside a secondary that always needs answers, Riordan has stood out for the kind of football IQ and instincts that can help a young defender find his footing quickly.
USC does not need him to be an immediate starter for him to matter, which is part of what makes his ascent worth watching. Riordan is already earning trust from coaches and teammates, and that sort of early credibility can matter as much as raw talent in a safety room. The Trojans are still sorting out the shape of the group, but Riordan has given the staff a new reason to feel better about the position going into the season. [Read more 🡒]
USC's Running Back Room Could Be A Real Big Ten Strength
USCs backfield enters the Big Ten era with a kind of depth that has become easy to overlook when the conversation starts with the Trojans passing game. King Miller and Waymond Jordan both showed they can bring real production to the offense last season, and they are part of a running back room that looks more varied than top-heavy. Riley Wormley, Deshonne Redeaux, Shahn Alston and Kayne Miller give the Trojans a mix of backgrounds and skill sets that should help keep the group from feeling one-dimensional.
The bigger question is how much of that promise turns into a true weekly edge once the schedule stiffens in conference play. Depth only matters if it shows up when bodies start wearing down and game plans get more demanding, and USC appears to have enough options to make opponents prepare for different styles on the same night. If that versatility translates the way the staff hopes, this could be one of the quieter reasons the Trojans are better equipped for the Big Ten grind than many expect. [Read more 🡒]
Leon McQuay III Still Owns One Of USCs Most Memorable Moments
Leon McQuay IIIs USC legacy still starts with one of the most recognizable plays of the programs recent run. The safety, who played for the Trojans from 2013 to 2016 and became a full-time starter as a senior, carved out a place in school memory with a key interception in the 2017 Rose Bowl that helped USC finish off a victory.
McQuays college career never had the loudest statistical footprint, but his timing on that stage made the moment stick. He went on to be selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and appeared in one regular-season game, but for Trojans fans, the defining image remains the one he created in Pasadena. [Read more 🡒]