After Alamo Bowl, is there any chance USC keeps Eric Henderson as DC?

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On Tuesday, just hours before USC took on TCU in the Alamo Bowl, USC football beat writer Connor Morrissette broke the news that former USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn had been sent home from San Antonio after accepting an offer to become Penn State’s defensive coordinator next season, and that Eric Henderson would call plays for the Trojan defense against the Horned Frogs.

That was a move relevant not just to USC’s game against TCU, but the Trojans‘ future. It signaled that, at this point, if USC promotes a defensive coordinator from within, Eric Henderson is the next guy up.

Is that the route USC should take? What did Henderson show us in the Alamo Bowl? Let’s talk about it.

Jahkeem Stewart feeds rumors of a permanent hire of Henderson

Interestingly enough, the day before the game, USC’s freshman phenom defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart posted a thank you to D’Anton Lynn…and also made an interesting comment about Eric Henderson.

“The bright side is we already have our defensive leader,” Stewart wrote in a post on X. “Time to ride old man @Coach_Henny.”

Does Stewart know something that we don’t? That USC has already decided to make Henderson its next defensive coordinator?

He could have been referring to Henderson as the Trojans’ defensive leader just for the Alamo Bowl, or referring to the fact that Henderson is sticking around as defensive line coach no matter what. Still, it was interesting to say especially because the news that Henderson was calling plays in the Alamo Bowl had yet to break.

The case for Henderson

Henderson did serve as co-defensive coordinator this year. He has lots of familiarity with the current system and players. At this point, when so many coaches have already decided to stay at their current school or move schools, the market for top defensive coordinator candidates is thin.

And Henderson had a few nice moments in the Holiday Bowl. USC forced four three-and-outs defensively. The Trojans also recorded 3 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups and an interception on the day. Some of the big play potential that didn’t always show itself in D’Anton Lynn’s conservative scheme came out in the Alamo Bowl.

There’s no question that USC’s defensive effort was good enough to win the game had USC’s offense been firing on all cylinders.

Henderson’s failures in the Alamo Bowl

Eric Henderson was still far too conservative when it mattered most. No play made that more clear than rushing only 3 defensive linemen on the last play of the game, 3rd-and-20 for TCU. Jeremy Payne broke so many tackles because Henderson put USC’s defense on its heels. And there was too much of that all game long.

USC had a great first and third quarter defensively, but they still surrendered 30 points to a TCU offense led by a backup QB. It’s not as though Henderson made USC’s defense elite immediately. As a whole, this game should be evaluated as a failure defensively.

Henderson needs a culture reset

All season long, I have been frustrated with USC’s culture defensively. It’s clear the Trojans have defensive talent, but they struggled with discipline, decisiveness and consistency all season long.

I’m not sure if it’s D’Anton Lynn’s fault or Lincoln Riley’s fault. I place blame on both.

But the fact of the matter is that the coaching philosophy this season didn’t work, despite lots of talent on the field. It’s clear that USC had issues that start at the top, and Henderson is a product of that system.

I still think Henderson could be a great coach for the Trojans…as a defensive line coach learning under a skull-crushing defensive coordinator that instills an aggressive, fearless, confident culture at USC.

Henderson cannot be trusted to become a defensive coordinator when he just coached under Lynn and Riley. But I think he can be a great assistant under someone like Pete Kwiatkowski.

Parting with Henderson may not be bad for everyone, either

Look, I don’t believe that any of USC’s defensive coaches did well enough this season that they should feel like their role for next season is a given. D’Anton Lynn is responsible for the whole defense, sure, but individual position groups can still shine amidst a tough season for the defense overall, and they didn’t do that.

On the offensive side of the ball, USC fans are so impressed with Zach Hanson for that reason: USC’s offensive line clearly put together an elite year. USC had lots of offensive talent around that line, but even if USC’s offense had been terrible otherwise, the dominance of the offensive line would have still been obvious.

None of USC’s defensive position groups were consistent enough to warrant that kind of confidence.

And ultimately, USC needs to put its trust in whatever defensive coordinator it hires. If that DC wants to retain some of USC’s defensive staffers, great. If that DC wants to clean house, that’s probably what’s best for USC.

All in all, I do not believe there’s a good reason for USC to hire Eric Henderson as a full time defensive coordinator at this point. But, I have hope that he can stick with USC and have some success under the new defensive coordinator and working with Trumain Carroll for a full offseason. And if he is forced out, I am sure he will have success elsewhere working with better leadership.

And ultimately, I am grateful to him for stepping up in the absence of the traitorous D’Anton Lynn. Fight on, Coach Henny.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Eric Henderson serves as defensive coordinator for USC in Alamo Bowl

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