One Big Takeaway From USC Coach Gary Patterson’s Opening Press Conference

Gary Patterson met with the media for the first time since he officially became the USC Trojans defensive coordinator last week. The former TCU coach spoke about a similarity he's noticed between USC and his successful teams with the Horned Frogs.

Sep 4, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson and his team before the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Duquesne Dukes at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Gary Patterson has been around a lot of winning football during his time at TCU. The former Horned Frogs coach has 181 career wins on his Hall of Fame resume and understands what it takes for a program to achieve sustained success at a high level. 

It’s been less than a week since Patterson arrived in Los Angeles and already there’s one thing the new USC defensive coordinator is noticing about the Trojans that matches what he had at TCU. 

Sep 4, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson and his team before the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Duquesne Dukes at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

“One thing I learned as a head coach being in charge of a lot. You can’t be be winning if you don’t have chemistry in the room as a defensive staff or offensive staff or a whole staff,” Patterson said. “And by the way they have unbelievable chemistry in this building of how they treat people and how they do things. I mean it’s just amazing.” 

Chemistry from a coaching staff to the recruiting department is essential because it sets the culture in the locker room and creates structure. It’s a common theme amongst the great teams in college football and why some have separated themselves in the sport. 

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When chemistry is right so is player development. It’s one thing to recruit at a high level, which the staff has done because of a shared vision, it’s another thing entirely to develop them into not only high-quality players at the collegiate level but into NFL bodies. And USC has several key starters from last season returning on defense to pair with its No. 1 ranked recruiting class. 

Veteran coaches elevate younger assistants and that’s when coaching trees are established. And USC has a couple of rising staff members in the building, most notably cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed and inside receivers and tight ends coach Chad Savage. Their impact has been felt on the field and in recruiting. 

“I’m going to be a lot about chemistry in the building,” Patterson said. “You got to do it. Got young coaches on the staff also that are very talented. How do I help them progress their careers and do all the things you need to do. Plus play good defense and get to a point where we can play great defense.”

Oct 2, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson reacts during the second quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Patterson is a late hire, considering when the Trojans season ended on Dec. 30. It’s a process for him to get fully acclimated with the staff and vice versa but the USC coach knows they need to get the ball rolling immediately. 

“One step at a time. Right now, if you’re not careful, sometimes people try to jump from A to Z and then you don’t have a great process. I’m feeling everything out just like everybody else does but at a very fast pace.”

Coaching a Defense under Lincoln Riley 

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Riley has a ton of respect for what Patterson has done in his career. The two faced over several times when Riley was the coach at Oklahoma from 2017-2021 and he joked on Wednesday that Patterson’s defense was always “a pain” to scheme against. 

When the former Big 12 rivals began talking several weeks ago about the Trojans defensive coordinator vacancy, it wasn’t the first time they had spoken about potentially joining forces. 

“When I had good offenses at TCU, we were very good and we won a lot of games,” Patterson said. “Coach Riley and I talked about it a couple of years ago about what he does on offense and then we could get it to what we’ve done on defense at our highest level, what that would look like on the same football team. That’s what the story is and what we’re trying to get accomplished." 

Patterson is third defensive coordinator at USC since Riley became the head coach in 2022. And while there's been plenty of turnover at the position, the former TCU could be the best one that aligns with Riley's vision. And when the opportunity finally presented itself for the two to be on the same staff, it was one that Patterson couldn't pass up.

"The opportunity to be part of a great staff, be part of a legendary program, where they've always had great players and to hopefully be that last piece to help USC get into the playoffs, to win a national championship," Patterson said.