Latest Developments in USC Trojans' Defensive Coordinator Search

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley has to hire a defensive coordinator with D'Anton Lynn leaving for his alma mater, the Penn State Nittany Lions. Former Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski was linked to the USC job mainly because of his connection to USC athletic director Jen Cohen when the two worked at Washington together.

However, college football insider Bruce Feldman reported on Sunday that Kwiatkowski has emerged as a "strong candidate" to become the next defensive coordinator for Stanford.

usc trojans defensive coordinator hire danton lynn penn state pete kiwatkowski al golden lincoln riley eric henderson big ten — Pete Kwiatkowski, former Texas defensive coordinator | Ricardo B. Brazziell / USA TODAY NETWORK

A few current Trojans like defensive linemen Jahkeem Stewart and Floyd Boucard have publicly advocated for Riley to promote USC co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Eric Henderson to the open position. With Lynn leaving the team before the Alamo Bowl, Henderson called plays for USC's defense against the TCU Horned Frogs.

Meanwhile, "LA Times" reporter Ryan Kartje reported that current Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden could be a candidate for the Trojans, pointing to Golden's connection with USC general manager Chad Bowden during their time at Notre Dame.

Senior defensive assistant for the Los Angeles Rams Jimmy Lake has also been linked to the opening with familiarity to Cohen, although Cohen did fire Lake from the Washington head coaching job in his second season leading the Huskies. Still, Lake has experience as a defensive coordinator at the college and NFL level, and he also brings some college head coaching experience to the table.

MORE: Lincoln Riley's Blunt Response About D'Anton Lynn's Absence In Alamo Bowl Loss

MORE: Biggest Offseason Questions For Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans

MORE: USC's Lincoln Riley Reveals Confidence In Finding New Defensive Coordinator

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What Lincoln Riley Said About Hiring A New Defensive Coordinator

After the loss in the Alamo Bowl, Riley was asked how he feels about the state of USC's defense with Lynn leaving and the Trojans needing to find a replacement.

"I feel fantastic," Riley answered. "You know, we've made obviously documented strides the last couple of years statistically, but those that really study the game and watch the way that we've played and the way that we've been able to improve, the arrow is just pointing straight up. I think for us right now the opportunity to make a hire, to continue to make us better and to go from being a very good defense to being a great defense is the goal. We have the personnel to do it. We're on an upward trend."

"There's going to be a lot of interest in this job. This will be an extremely, extremely coveted job. I can already tell by the nature of what my phone has been like the last couple of days. You know, it's kind of like -- I know I described it to you guys a little bit when I first got here. When I first got here there was a few of us that believed in it, but putting together the staff had some challenges too because I think a lot of people were skeptical about is SC really that all in, are they really going to invest, are they really serious about being great in football again?" Riley continued.

"Everybody knows the history, but it's like what it had done for a few years and had been a little stagnant. I think each year as this has gone on when we've had an opportunity to go make a hire, it's gotten easier each year and the pools have gotten bigger. Our ability to go get great people to bring into our program to help make us better has just gotten higher and higher. I can already tell that with this," said Riley.

What Lincoln Riley Said About Hiring A New Defensive Coordinator

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