USC reportedly speaking with Gary Patterson regarding DC opening

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It has now been several weeks since former USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn left the program to take the same position at Penn State. As of Monday, the Trojans still have not filled the role. Could that be changing soon?

On Sunday, Pete Nakos of On3 reported that a surprising new name has emerged in the search: former TCU head coach Gary Patterson. Patterson spent 21 years as the head coach of the Hornets Frogs leading them to six conference titles. Under his leadership, TCU moved up in the college football pecking order, eventually landing membership in the Big 12.

Patterson was forced out at TCU in 2021. Since then, he has served as a special assistant on the staffs at Texas and Baylor. Ironically, USC’s final game of the 2025 season was a loss to Patterson’s replacement at TCU, Sonny Dykes.

Patterson would certainly be an intriguing hire for the Trojans. On one hand, he has not not served as a defensive coordinator since prior to his hiring as the head coach at TCU more than 25 years ago.

On the other hand, however, Patterson is an incredibly accomplished head coach who developed a strong reputation for doing more with less during his time leading the Horned Frogs. It would be interesting to see what he could do with USC’s defense, which has significantly more former highly-touted recruits than any of his teams at TCU did.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football speaking with former TCU head coach Gary Patterson

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