Lincoln Riley's Biggest Hire Turning Heads for USC

The USC Trojans made a splash this offseason with the hiring of defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. Patterson is most well-known for his 20-plus years as the head coach for the TCU Horned Frogs from 2000-2021. In his tenure in Fort Worth, Patterson had an overall record of 181-79 with four conference championships in three different leagues (Conference USA, Mountain West, Big 12).

Chris Low of On3 tabs Patterson as one of the most impactful coaching staff hires in college football for the 2026 season.

Gary Patterson Hired By USC Trojans, Coach Lincoln Riley

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Coaching Staff Gary Patterson Defensive Coordinator Newcomer D'Anton Lynn TCU Horned Frogs Playoff — Oct 23, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson left and West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown speak before the game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

USC hired Gary Patterson to be their defensive coordinator following the departure of former USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. Lynn was with the Trojans in 2024 and 2025 before leaving the team prior to the Alamo Bowl last season. Lynn is now with his alma mater, the Penn State Nittany Lions as their new defensive coordinator.

For USC coach Lincoln Riley and company, the defense will now be led by Patterson. The two have a history of competing against each other from their days coaching in the Big 12 with Riley at Oklahoma and Patterson at TCU.

“Lincoln Riley knows exactly what he’s getting in Patterson…Riley and Patterson went against each other every year from 2015 to 2021,” Low said. “With Lynn bolting for Penn State, it’s now on Patterson’s shoulders to take the USC defense to another level as Riley seeks to make his first playoff appearance with the Trojans.”

Riley is entering bis fifth season in Los Angeles as Trojans coach. The expectation at this point is to make a College Football Playoff, especially with the field’s expansion to 12 teams starting in the 2024 season.

Riley made the playoff multiple times when he was the coach of the Oklahoma Sooners from 2017-2021. Will 2026 be his first with USC? Patterson’s fit with the defense will unquestionably play a big role in this.

USC has an overall record of 35-18 since Riley’s first season there in 2022. He is in the middle of one of the most lucrative contracts in all of college football, but the results on the field to this point have not matched that. 2026 is an opportunity for Riley to change that narrative.

USC Trojans’ With Difficult Big Ten Schedule

USC’s path to what they hope will be their first playoff appearance in program history will begin on Saturday, Aug. 29 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Their opponent is the San Jose State Spartans.

The Trojans’ non-conference schedule looks lighter than it has in a long time as they won’t be facing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish due to a scheduling disagreement between the two schools.

Despite a manageable non-conference slate of games, USC’s overall schedule is difficult. In Big Ten conference play, USC is scheduled to play the three best teams in the conference from a season ago: the Indiana Hoosiers, Oregon Ducks, and Ohio State Buckeyes.

All three made it to at least the playoff quarterfinals, with the Hoosiers winning the national championship.

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