USC Trojans Reveal Biggest Area of Investment with Recent Hires

USC is still finalizing its coaching staff for the 2026 season but they are putting an emphasis on its secondary with some recent hires.

Gary Patterson takes over as the Trojans next defensive coordinator and is bringing over one of his longtime defensive back assistants from TCU in Paul Gonzales, who spent 10 seasons coaching cornerbacks and safeties with the Horned Frogs. He was also a graduate assistant for three seasons under Patterson.

USC Trojans Transfer Portal Lincoln Riley Sam Carter Trovon Reed Gary Patterson Paul Gonzales Jontez Williams Elbert Hill — Jul 8, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Iowa State defensive back Jontez Williams answers questions from the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Gonzales remained on the staff for three more seasons after Patterson’s departure in 2021. Last season, Gonzales was the pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach at Baylor. He and Patterson will oversee the entire Trojans secondary.

USC is also expected to hire Louisiana Tech safeties coach Sam Carter for a role on its defensive staff. Carter has also coached at Purdue, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Missouri.

Before he entered the coaching ranks, Carter was an All-Big-12 and Second Team All-American safety at TCU under Patterson in the early 2010s. And Trovon Reed is expected to remain on the staff and coach the cornerbacks again.

It makes sense for the Trojans to make some major moves to its defensive coaching staff because they have made a significant investment in its secondary, particularly the 2026 class.

Veteran and Young Talent in Cornerback Room

After drawing rave reviews in back-to-back spring, Marcelles Williams became a full-time starter as a redshirt freshman this past season. He overcame some early season struggles, and the player he became in November was vastly different than the one in September. And Reed was a big reason for that.

He was instrumental in some big-time second half performances by the Trojans defense in games against Nebraska and Iowa late in the year. His final play against TCU in the Alamo Bowl was forgettable and shouldn’t define his entire season and wipe away the good he accomplished in his first full season at the collegiate level.

But the St. John Bosco (Calif.) product will have some tough competition to stay in the lineup next season.

USC signed Iowa State transfer Jontez Williams, the No. 1 ranked cornerback according to the 247Sports transfer rankings. Williams snagged four interceptions in 2024, which earned him Second Team All-Big-12 honors.

He played five games the following year before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Williams has an NFL future, and in addition to Reed. will have a couple of more coaches involved in his development over the next year.

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Cornerback Chasen Johnson also suffered a season-ending knee injury that lingered from fall camp last season and limited him to just two games. Johnson started four games as a true freshman under Reed at UCF in 2024.

RJ Sermons was originally the No. 1 ranked cornerback in the 2026 class before choosing to reclassify to the 2025 class late last summer. He and 2026 five-star Elbert Hill headline a talented group of young cornerbacks.

The two of them are both great athletes but also technicians at the position and have an impressive level of comfortably playing press or off man coverage.

Oklahoma State transfer Carrington Pierce joins the room. 2025 four-star Trestin Castro saw action in two games. 2026 four-star Brandon Lockhart and three-stars Joshua Holland and Jayden Crowder join the room.

USC needs to be consistent at cornerback next season and be able to challenge receivers at the line of scrimmage more effectively and some recent hires will certainly make a difference.

The Trojans want to play at a higher level in the secondary starting next fall, but they want to continue developing depth and set players up to be successful in the future.

New-Look Safety Room

Kamari Ramsey and Consensus First Team All-American Bishop Fitzgerald are gone. Christian Pierce becomes the new leader in the backend of the Trojans defense. Pierce stepped into a starting role this past season and the junior was one of the bright spots during some of USC’s struggles in the secondary early last season.

With a pair of injuries late in the year, Kennedy Urlacher was inserted into starting lineup opposite of Pierce for the final three games of the season. Those reps were extremely valuable for the sophomore. Urlacher is the favorite to become a full-time starter in 2026.

One player that could shake that up is Alex Graham. The freshman defensive back primarily played nickel but with Prophet Brown returning after missing the entirety of last season with a significant lower body injury, Graham could move back to safety to get them both on the field. The move is not definite but a possibility.

Marquis Gallegos is back for his third season and will be competing to have a role in the secondary. Four-star Peyton Dyer can play every position in the secondary but his best position long-term at USC is most likely at safety. Three-star Madden Riordan will have that hybrid safety/nickel role, similar to Graham.

It’s an inexperienced room, and that’s where the coaching staff has to come into play. Depth is question mark and makes the spring that much more important. It is most likely the position group that Patterson ends up spending the most time with.

Veteran and Young Talent in Cornerback Room

New-Look Safety Room

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