USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley needed to make a big move this offseason to replace former USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who left in December to take the same job with his alma mater, Penn State. 

It’s the side of the ball that has long been issue for Riley dating back to first season as a head coach at Oklahoma back in 2017. Coming from the late Mike Leach coaching tree, Riley has always had explosive offenses, but defense is what prevented those Sooners teams from reaching a national championship.

Riley cast a wide net in a search that went well into the month of January before eventually hiring a former Big 12 rival in Gary Patterson.

The former longtime TCU head coach and Hall of Famer brings a wealth of knowledge to the Trojans staff as he looks to change the narrative surrounding Riley when it comes to defense. In an exclusive interview, On3 college football analyst JD Pickell compared the Patterson hiring to one a Big Ten power made back in 2024. 

“It reminds me of when Chip Kelly took the OC job with Ohio State,” Pickell said. “We know he knows that side of the ball. With those Oregon teams they had good players, but it wasn’t a bunch of five stars. He was winning with scheme and winning with development, and he goes to Ohio State and it’s congrats, you have Jeremiah Smith. Good news, you have Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. 

“It’s the same kind of thing with Gary Patterson at USC. You were winning with three stars, now you got Jahkeem Stewart, now you got Luke Wafle, you can go down the list. It’s crazy when you say it out loud, they hired a Hall of Fame coach just to call the defense. It’s like Rolling Stones playing at your Office Christmas Party, like you’re way over qualified for this.”

Impact of Hiring Gary Patterson 

Patterson’s specialty at TCU was player development, it’s why the Horned Frogs were one of the winningest programs in college football in his two decades as the head coach and why Patterson is headed to the Hall of Fame. 

He turned Jerry Hughes, a two-star high school running back into unanimous All-American at defensive end and first round draft pick. Cornerback Jason Verrett was a junior college transfer that became a first team All-American and first round pick. 

The late Jeff Gladney was a three-star recruit that blossomed into another first round pick at cornerback. Safety Tre’von Moehrig won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's best defensive back. Patterson built elite defenses with non-blue-chip recruits. 

With the Trojans, he inherited an abundance of talent. Patterson was immediately enamored by the size of USC’s defensive line upon his arrival. It’s a position unit the Trojans have put an emphasis on in recruiting the past several cycles to be able to be to compete at a high level in the Big Ten. 

Players have immediately felt the difference with Patterson running the show. It has also bled into the entire defensive staff who take pride in being teachers on the field. The individual periods of practice look vastly different than years past with an emphasis on the fundamentals and small details. Things that translate to the field on Saturdays. 

With Patterson, the Trojans they hired a head coach of the defense. He’s been a culture changer on that side of ball. 

“As a coordinator, you have to be a leader of men. You have to be someone that can manage people and control that side,” Riley said. “You feel that with coach Patterson's experience. This guy's not just calling plays. It's not just schematic. There's a next step to this in helping us cultivate the mentality we want defensively.”

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