Gary Patterson understands how USC's defensive staff needed to change

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When the USC football team hired Gary Patterson as its next defensive coordinator, I saw the possible upside with one key caveat: Lincoln Riley needs to let the Hall of Fame coach have total control over his defense as well as letting Patterson have a big say in the culture.

Patterson is an experienced defensive mind, which is the biggest upside of hiring him. He knows how to coach a successful football team better than most men on planet Earth.

Lincoln Riley, on the other hand, hasn’t cracked the code of pairing his dynamic offenses with elite defenses. He needs help, from someone with the kind of knowledge like Patterson has.

That knowledge is showing up already. Not on the field, of course, but in how USC has reshaped its defensive staff. It’s clear that Patterson understands the real big issue that faced USC’s defense in 2025, and he isn’t becoming distracted by tangential issues. Let’s talk about it.

The secondary hires

When USC hired Patterson, they didn’t let him completely reshape the defensive staff. USC tried to keep many of its position coaches around, in an effort to keep the No. 1 ranked 2026 recruiting class intact and happy.

But, USC did let go of secondary coach Doug Belk. In the aftermath of parting ways with Belk, USC hired reputable defensive backs coach Paul Gonzales to help coach the secondary. The Trojans are also expected to bring in Louisiana Tech safeties coach Sam Carter. The Trojans also retained cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed this offseason.

Patterson has plenty of experience coaching defensive backs himself. He coached linebackers and safeties at different stops earlier in his career.

With all of the investment in the staff that specifically coaches USC’s secondary, it’s clear that is the position of emphasis for Gary Patterson this offseason.

Why the secondary was the biggest issue

I think that Gary Patterson is right to put so much focus on fixing the secondary, even though USC had issues across its defense.

USC’s inexperience and lack of discipline in the secondary showed up from their very first game against Missouri State. The Trojan secondary had a few good moments later in the season against teams like Nebraska and Iowa, and Bishop Fitzgerald was a star, but it was clear that on the whole, USC could not trust its secondary.

This led to a total philosophical shift by D’Anton Lynn and the USC defensive staff. The Trojans played very soft coverage all season long. This allowed the Trojans to prevent drastic mistakes and big plays, but allowed them to be diced up on short throws. It also made it harder for USC to fill the gaps and stop the run, and made them less aggressive rushing the passer.

Improving the secondary could allow USC to not only improve on the back end of the defense, but also improve in stopping the run and rushing the passer via more aggressive tactics.

USC will have plenty of young talent in its secondary in 2026, but the staff will have its work cut out for them when it comes to development. The old staff didn’t seem to be developing well, given USC’s repeated mistakes in the secondary in 2025.

Trusting Eric Henderson, Trumain Carroll, Zach Hanson

While USC’s defensive line wasn’t elite by any means, there is a clearer path to improvement in that phase of defense than the secondary.

The returning players and incoming recruits will get a full offseason to be coached up by defensive line coach Eric Henderson and strength coach Trumain Carroll and his staff.

They will also get to compete all offseason against USC’s very good offensive line, which returns all five of its starters and projects to be one of the best O-lines in college football next season.

Don’t forget that among USC’s newcomers on the defensive line next season is Jaimeon Winfield, who was just upgraded to a five-star recruit, and Luke Wafle, who was recently ranked as the No. 1 player in the 2026 class.

Belk: recruiting wasn’t enough

Doug Belk was a very good recruiter, which likely made it hard for USC to let him go.

But USC fans have tried to justify keeping coaches around for the sole fact that they are good recruiters far too much in recent years.

Remember Donte Williams? Yes, the former interim head coach at USC who now coaches defensive backs at Georgia.

His Bulldogs ranked worse than USC in 2025 in passing yards allowed per game. The on-field results matter. I applaud USC for not being satisfied with how the secondary was performing on the field, regardless of how good of a recruiter Belk may be.

I think USC has recruiting figured out under new general manager Chad Bowden anyway. I don’t think Trojan fans need to worry about holding on to every position coach who happens to be a good recruiter anymore.

The linebacker aspect

USC also, somewhat quietly, made new special teams coach Mike Ekeler also the Trojans’ new linebackers coach, replacing Rob Ryan.

Patterson, also a former linebackers coach, knows what it takes to develop elite linebackers. USC’s linebacker play didn’t cut it in 2025 either. I am glad to see USC addressing that as well.

Are these the right men for the job? Trojan fans can’t know until the 2026 season kicks off.

But they seem to truly understand the task at hand, which is a good sign.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Gary Patterson hires new USC defensive staff with focus on secondary

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