Lincoln Riley Turns to 21-Year Head Coaching Veteran for Key USC DC Hire

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Lincoln Riley Turns to 21-Year Head Coaching Veteran for Key USC DC Hire
August 26, 2023 USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley in action during the NCAA, College League, USA football game between the San Jose State Spartans and USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Mandatory Photo Credit : /CSM Los Angeles United States of America - ZUMAc04_ 20230826_zma_c04_587 Copyright: xCharlesxBausx ©IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
August 26, 2023 USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley in action during the NCAA, College League, USA football game between the San Jose State Spartans and USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Mandatory Photo Credit : /CSM Los Angeles United States of America – ZUMAc04_ 20230826_zma_c04_587 Copyright: xCharlesxBausx ©IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

USC’s defensive coordinator vacancy lingered longer than Lincoln Riley would have preferred. Nearly a month after D’Anton Lynn left Los Angeles to take the same job at Penn State, the Trojans were still searching for answers on the defensive side. But now, it appears like they’ve fixed that concern with the solution being Gary Patterson.

“NEW: USC is expected to hire former TCU head coach Gary Patterson as its next defensive coordinator, @Clowfb, @Brett_McMurphy & @PeteNakos report

” On3 reported on January 21.

Gary Patterson emerged as the clear frontrunner in recent days, to the point USC informed other candidates the search was moving in a different direction.

Earlier this month, Gary Patterson was named to the College Football Hall of Fame. That honor, significant on its own, may end up being overshadowed by a return to a hands-on defensive role at a program desperate for credibility on that side of the ball. USC’s defense was inconsistent in 2025, and Lincoln Riley’s need for experience, structure, and authority became impossible to ignore.

Gary Patterson brings all three. Before his 21-year run as TCU’s head coach, he was a DC by trade, with prior stops at New Mexico, Navy, Utah State, and Tennessee Tech. At TCU, he built defenses that traveled across conferences and eras. His teams won six conference championships, and he guided the program from Conference USA to the Mountain West and eventually the Big 12 without losing national relevance.

Gary Patterson went 181-79 at TCU, produced 11 final AP Top 25 finishes, seven top-10 rankings, and reached as high as No. 2 in 2010 and No. 3 in 2014. His best teams won the 2010 Rose Bowl and the 2014 Peach Bowl. He was also fired midway through the 2021 season after a 3-5 start, a reminder that longevity does not protect anyone in modern college football.

Since then, Gary Patterson has stayed connected to the game through off-field roles at Texas and Baylor. He turns 66 next month, but this hire is not about age or reinvention. It is about trust. Lincoln Riley and Patterson built a relationship as Big 12 head coaches, and that familiarity matters. USC is betting that his voice, credibility, and defensive clarity can stabilize a unit that has lagged behind the offense.

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