Gary Patterson, USC hire Paul Gonzales as defensive backs coach

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Last week, USC hired longtime TCU head coach Gary Patterson as its new defensive coordinator. With any new coordinator hire, there will likely be several other hires on the staff as well. So who will be joining Patterson’s defensive staff in Los Angeles?

Well, we now know one name. On Tuesday, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that USC hiring Baylor defensive pass game coordinator Paul Gonzales. While Gonzales’s exact role with the Trojans is yet to be confirmed, he will be working with USC’s defensive backs. Gonzales worked with Gary Patterson for a decade at TCU, so the two men are deeply familiar with each other and know how to work in tandem.

Gonzales will seemingly replace Doug Belk, who served as the Trojans’ secondary coach for the past two seasons. It was reported last week that Belk will not be back with USC in 2026.

Beyond Belk, it is still unclear which of USC’s defensive assistants will be back next season and which will not. It will be interesting to see who Patterson and head coach Lincoln Riley decide to keep around and who they decide to go in a different direction with.

Patterson’s official introductory press conference is set for Wednesday afternoon. We will see if he reveals any updates on the matter there.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football hires Baylor defensive backs coach Paul Gonzales

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