Why Mark Stoops could be defensive coordinator candidate for USC

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It’s been almost a week since the rumors that Penn State is heavily pursuing USC football defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn surfaced.

It’s been a nerve-wracking week. Trojan fans, and likely Trojan coaches, would have liked to have this uncertainty resolved by now. But, at least it has given everyone time to think about how USC would move forward if Lynn really does leave.

No D’Anton Lynn resolution yet

That’s what we’ve done a lot of at Trojans Wire, thinking about and pitching possible candidates for USC to consider. Today, we are going to take a look at former Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, who was fired by the Wildcats a few weeks ago.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley has great history working with Stoops’s brother Bob Stoops at Oklahoma during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. In 2015, with Stoops as head coach and Riley as offensive coordinator, the Sooners made the College Football Playoff and Riley won the Broyles award as the nation’s top assistant coach. But Riley did leave Oklahoma for USC abruptly ahead of the 2022 season, which certainly could have rubbed Stoops the wrong way after Stoops mentored Riley and made him his head coach successor at Oklahoma.

Being realistic

So a reunion between Riley and someone named Stoops would certainly make headlines. But would hiring Mark Stoops as defensive coordinator if D’Anton Lynn leaves be the best thing for the USC Trojans on the football field?

Let’s talk about it.

Returning to a defensive coordinator role could be good for Mark Stoops’s career

Mark Stoops was the head coach at Kentucky for a whopping 13 seasons starting in 2013 and ending just a few weeks ago after the conclusion of the 2025 season. So, it’s been a long time since he was the defensive coordinator anywhere. And, his Kentucky defenses have had good seasons, but it’s been really up-and-down overall.

But before that, he did accumulate plenty of experience (and success) as a defensive coordinator at Arizona and Florida State. So it’s not like he’d have to learn how to do the job from scratch.

Plus, it’s a common trend in the sport of football to see fired head coaches return to coordinator roles and have more success.

That’s not to discount what Stoops accomplished at Kentucky. He is the winningest head coach in Wildcats history.

Head coach versus coordinator

But 6 if his 13 seasons at Kentucky were losing seasons and four more seasons were 7-6 seasons. So Stoops only finished with 8 or more wins 3 times. He wasn’t particularly consistent or elite.

He may find that his expertise is more valuable as a defensive coordinator than a head coach, and that’s fine. Look at basically any of Bill Belichick’s former assistant coaches with the New England Patriots like Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, and Joe Judge. Not everyone can be a great head coach; but being a bad head coach doesn’t mean you’re a bad football coach. Returning to a lesser role can be what allows you to shine.

Stoops would be motivated and have a clear channel for that motiavtion

I think that perhaps what often makes returning to a coordinator role after being fired as a head coach such a good situation for guys like Mark Stoops is that they come into the job motivated, but not lacking confidence.

Stoops didn’t want to leave Kentucky, he made that very clear in his public comments leading up to his firing. He was forced out. He likely wants to keep coaching, and prove to the world that he is still an elite football coach.

But being fired can also hurt your confidence. Maybe stepping back into being a head coach at another school right away would be too much pressure.

As a defensive coordinator, Stoops would have the opportunity to prove himself without taking all of the blame or responsibility if things go wrong; that ultimately would fall on Lincoln Riley. To me, it seems like a good situation for him to use his firing as positive motivation rather than negative motivation.

Stoops would have all the support in the world

Kentucky is a tough school to coach football at. Historically, the Wildcats are known much more for elite basketball programs than football programs. With the lack of an elite brand identity, it can be tough to convince players to buy into what you’re building.

Stoops wouldn’t have that problem at USC. The Trojans have the #1 recruiting class coming to campus in 2026, and with general manager Chad Bowden and plenty of other elite recruiters on staff at one of the most successful college football programs in the sport’s history, Stoops would never lack resources.

That could potentially help fix Stoops’s issues with consistency. He wouldn’t have to focus as much on recruiting, which would happen more naturally and with the support of the people around him. He could focus more on coaching up his players.

As someone who has “cooked” up great defenses at several moments during his career, having the best consistent ingredients and team in the kitchen around him could make him an elite chef.

Stoops’s background with defensive backs could be especially helpful

Mark Stoops played defensive back for the Iowa Hawkeyes when he was in college, and has coached defensive backs at several schools, including at Miami in 2001 when the Hurricanes won the national championship.

USC got a mixed performance from its DBs this season. Bishop Fitzgerald put up an All-American performance at safety, but injuries and youth led to an inconsistent performance overall from the Trojan safeties and corners. USC’s pass coverage struggled at times, especially against elite offenses.

It’s clear that the unit improved overall, but the unit still appears talented, but young and uncertain heading into 2026 (pending whatever happens in the transfer portal). I’m sure Doug Belk and Trovon Reed wouldn’t complain about having some help from a coach who won a national title as a DB coach. The Trojans’ strength in numbers could help them maximize all the raw talent in the secondary.

Bob Stoops could help bridge the gap?

Because Bob Stoops coached with Lincoln Riley, there’s clear path to Riley and Mark Stoops building a great relationship — IF Bob Stoops is interested in helping Riley out.

It’s unclear what Bob Stoops thinks of Riley after he left Oklahoma, and whether he would want to help Riley and Mark Stoops work together as a pair. It’s very possible that the opposite could happen, that Bob could tell Mark not to work with Riley because he’s a traitor.

The saying is that time heals all wounds, however. So could helping Bob’s brother in a time of need/unemployment. Luring Mark could also inspire Bob to help USC out here and there, if Lincoln Riley would welcome that. Bob is newly retired, after all.

It all depends on if both sides see Riley and Stoops as a good team.

My verdict

I think that Mark Stoops is someone that should be on USC’s radar, if Riley’s relationship with the Stoops family allows him to be a candidate. I wouldn’t consider Stoops the ideal candidate. I am higher on Pete Kwiatkowski and others. But I could see a path where hiring Mark Stoops could be a win for USC, as I have laid out here.

We’ll see what happens over the next few weeks. That’s all we can do in this period of uncertainty, after all.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Mark Stoops defensive coordinator option for USC if D’Anton Lynn exits

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