Lincoln Riley didn’t just need a new defensive coordinator this offseason. He needed a reset.
After D’Anton Lynn left in December for the same job at Penn State, USC turned to Gary Patterson, a move that came after a search that stretched deep into January. For Riley, whose teams have long been defined by offense and haunted by defensive shortcomings dating back to his first season as a head coach at Oklahoma in 2017, the hire brought in a name with real weight: a former Big 12 rival, a longtime TCU head coach, and a Hall of Famer.
On3 college football analyst JD Pickell sees the fit as unusual in the best way.
“It reminds me of when Chip Kelly took the OC job with Ohio State,” Pickell said. “We know he knows that side of the ball.
With those Oregon teams they had good players, but it wasn’t a bunch of five stars. He was winning with scheme and winning with development, and he goes to Ohio State and it’s congrats, you have Jeremiah Smith.
Good news, you have Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.
“It’s the same kind of thing with Gary Patterson at USC. You were winning with three stars, now you got Jahkeem Stewart, now you got Luke Wafle, you can go down the list.
It’s crazy when you say it out loud, they hired a Hall of Fame coach just to call the defense. It’s like Rolling Stones playing at your Office Christmas Party, like you’re way over qualified for this.”
That comparison fits because Patterson built his reputation at TCU by squeezing elite production out of players who weren’t always the biggest recruiting names. His two decades in Fort Worth made the Horned Frogs one of the winningest programs in the sport, and his development track record is the kind that lands him in the Hall of Fame.
The examples are hard to miss. Jerry Hughes arrived as a two-star high school running back and left as a unanimous All-American at defensive end and a first-round pick.
Jason Verrett came in as a junior college transfer and became a first-team All-American and first-round selection. The late Jeff Gladney grew from a three-star recruit into another first-round cornerback.
Tre’von Moehrig won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.
At USC, though, Patterson isn’t starting from the same place. He walked into a roster loaded with talent, and he was immediately struck by the size of the Trojans’ defensive line. That unit has been a clear recruiting priority over the past several cycles as USC tries to build to Big Ten-level competition.
The change has shown up fast. Players have noticed the difference, and so has the rest of the defensive staff.
The practice periods now put a premium on fundamentals and the little things that show up on Saturdays. The overall feel is different, and Patterson’s presence has already reshaped the tone of that side of the ball.
Riley put it plainly when talking about what Patterson brings beyond the play sheet.
“As a coordinator, you have to be a leader of men. You have to be someone that can manage people and control that side,” Riley said.
“You feel that with coach Patterson's experience. This guy's not just calling plays.
It's not just schematic. There's a next step to this in helping us cultivate the mentality we want defensively.”
For USC, that’s the point. Patterson wasn’t hired just to draw up calls. He was brought in to steer the defense.
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USCs New Defensive Duo Faces Immediate Pressure To Deliver
Gary Patterson and Paul Gonzales have picked up where they left off at TCU, only this time the reunion is unfolding at USC as the Trojans get ready for their season opener against San Jose State. Patterson is running the defense, Gonzales is helping shape the safeties and pass game, and the early sense around the program is that the familiarity between the two coaches is already paying off in how smoothly the unit is being put together.
Jontez Williams and Chasen Johnson have both pointed to that chemistry and leadership as reasons for confidence heading into the opener, and the pressure is immediate because USC does not have much time to wait for the defense to show it can hold up. The schedule offers a bigger measuring stick soon enough, too, with the Oct. 10 road trip to Penn State set for a 4:30 p.m. PT kickoff on NBC and Peacock, a game that will say a lot about how far this new-look defensive setup has come. [Read more 🡒]