USC's Lincoln Riley Opens Up About Gary Patterson Hire

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley went on “Always College Football” hosted by former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy. The two dove into USC’s hire of Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator this offseason.

Gary Patterson Hired By USC

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Big 12 Defensive Coordinator Gary Patterson D'Anton Lynn Greg McElroy College Football Playoff — Oct 23, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson reacts during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

USC made a big-time coaching hire when they brought in former TCU Horned Frogs coach Gary Patterson to be their next defensive coordinator this offseason. Patterson was with the Frogs from 2000-2021 and had spent the past few seasons as a consultant for the Baylor Bears and special assistant to the head coach for the Texas Longhorns.

Patterson is now in at USC. This is a hire that USC’s Lincoln Riley is thrilled about. He and Patterson have a respect between each other that dates back to their days coaching against each other in the Big 12 when Riley was at Oklahoma.

"Gary and I have had a good relationship for a long time. We've competed against each other so many times. A lot of big games. I've had a chance at head coaching meetings and all that in the past to strike up a really good relationship," Riley said. "I've always had as much respect for him defensively as anybody I've ever coached against."

Riley eluded to trying to hire Patterson two years ago, the last time the USC defensive coordinator position was open.

"I tried to hire him two years ago, but he wasn't quite ready to get back into it and go all in as only he can," Riley said. "I think USC was just right, and this place was ready for a guy like him. He's going to come in and make us better defensively....Make our entire team better, our program better, make me better. Just been awesome having him in the building."

Lincoln Riley has been wanting Gary Patterson on his staff for 𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚.

The timing finally worked, and @uscfb's new DC hire could mean big things for the Trojans in 2026 ✌️#FightOn pic.twitter.com/rtIPVlkMNn
— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) April 11, 2026

Instead of Patterson in 2024, USC hired D'Anton Lynn as defensive coordinator. Lynn was the defensive coordinator for the UCLA Bruins when Riley was able to hire him. After two seasons at USC, Lynn was hired to be the next defensive coordinator for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

A New Defensive Coordinator

Lynn played his college football for Penn State so his move from USC to there didn't come as a huge surprise. Lynn drastically improved the USC defense the second he got there. The Trojans defense allowed 10 points fewer per game in his first season compared to the year prior.

Even with Lynn improving that side of the ball in 2024 and 2025, there is still clearly room for improvement. USC hopes that Patterson is the right person for the task at hand to get the defense to take another step in the right direction.

USC will aim to make the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history this season. They will kick off the 2026 season against the San Jose State Spartans on Saturday, Aug. 29 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

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