SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Two years in the past, a day after he determined to fireside Alex Grinch as USC‘s defensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley made a promise to these involved about the way forward for the Trojans’ protection.
“I’ve full perception, conviction. We’ll play nice protection right here,” the coach stated in November 2023. “It’s going to occur. There’s not a motive on the earth why it may’t.”
Two years later, one other defensive coordinator is out the door at USC. The day after Grinch’s substitute, D’Anton Lynn, left to take the identical job at Penn State, Riley stood in entrance of reporters, assuring everybody as soon as once more that quickly sufficient, USC can be nice on that facet of the ball.
“The arrow,” he stated Tuesday, “is pointing straight up.”
“The chance for us to make a rent, to proceed to make us higher and to go from being an excellent protection to being a nice protection is the aim.”
But persistence on that promise is sporting skinny, particularly given how the season had ended lower than an hour earlier than. USC blew a 10-point lead within the closing 5 minutes in opposition to Texas Christian on Tuesday, a group taking part in with out its star quarterback, earlier than lacking 4 tackles on a third-and-20 walk-off landing in additional time. The disastrous Alamo Bowl defeat would function an particularly sobering reminder that whereas USC made progress beneath Lynn, it’s nonetheless a methods from heeding Riley’s assure.
And now, the protection should begin once more, with a brand new path, a brand new scheme and a brand new coordinator, who will probably be Riley’s third rent in 5 seasons at USC.
Despite all that, Riley was upbeat when requested concerning the unit’s future Tuesday night time. He felt “unbelievable,” he stated, about the place USC’s protection was headed.
“We have now the personnel,” Riley stated of turning into an ideal defensive unit. “We’re on an upward pattern. And, you recognize, there’s going to be a variety of curiosity on this job. I imply, this will probably be a particularly, extraordinarily coveted job, and I can already inform by the character of what my cellphone’s been just like the final couple of days.”
A number of potential candidates with deep expertise, in addition to shut ties to USC athletics officers, are anticipated to be obtainable.
Former Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, who labored at Washington beneath present USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen, was let go by the Longhorns earlier this month. Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden, in the meantime, labored carefully with USC basic supervisor Chad Bowden at Notre Dame and might be in search of a job as quickly as subsequent week.
Each coached school defenses that ranked within the prime 4 within the nation in factors allowed in the course of the 2024 season.
USC appeared certain for the same trajectory after 12 months 1 with Lynn. The Trojans allowed 10 fewer factors per recreation, leaping from 121st in scoring protection beneath Grinch to 56th in his first season at USC. They obtained stingier on third down — 106th nationally to twenty first — and within the crimson zone — 119th to 69th. Lynn was even named candidate for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s prime assistant.
In some respects, USC’s protection continued to take steps ahead in 12 months 2 beneath Lynn. It gave up fewer factors and fewer yards per recreation. The cross rush improved, including 10 sacks to its season complete in 2025.
However the personnel on protection was much less confirmed this season — and extra liable to errors. The secondary struggled by way of stretches. A skinny group of linebackers was typically overwhelmed. The defensive inside was manhandled for a lot of the season, and in every of their three regular-season losses, the Trojans had been trampled on the bottom.
Final month, when requested concerning the group’s inconsistency, Lynn stated that USC’s youth compelled him to “reduce” considerably on protection. He really puzzled, within the wake of USC’s loss to Oregon, if he shouldn’t have scaled again the protection much more this season.
“It’s totally different whenever you’re educating an 18-year-old versus educating a man who has been at two to a few colleges who has already performed a bunch of faculty ball,” Lynn stated.
Lynn, nonetheless, leaves USC in a greater place than when he arrived. The nation’s No. 1 recruiting class lands on campus subsequent week, with loads of extremely ranked reinforcements on the best way. Gifted freshmen like defensive linemen Jahkeem Stewart and Floyd Boucard in addition to defensive again Alex Graham are rising stars who must be able to step into important roles.
However USC will have to exchange three starters within the secondary, together with Kamari Ramsey, its greatest linebacker [Eric Gentry] and its prime run stopper on the defensive position [Anthony Lucas]. Whomever takes over as coordinator will probably be anticipated to take a big step ahead instantly, up in opposition to one of many nation’s hardest schedules in what must be a decisive season for this system.
Then there’s the matter of Riley’s job safety, which may make any obtainable prime coordinator queasy.
But so far as the coach is anxious, the trail to discovering an ideal coordinator and fielding an ideal protection isn’t that far off from what USC has now.
“I positively don’t need to press reset,” Riley stated. “I’m excited concerning the course of, and I believe it’s going to make us higher, I do know it can. So, we’ll get up tomorrow morning and we’ll get on it.”
