Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans are on the hunt for the program’s next defensive coordinator following the departure of D’Anton Lynn, who left Southern California to take the same position with the Penn State Nittany Lions heading into the 2026 college football season.
Earlier this week, reports linked longtime former TCU head coach Gary Patterson to the Trojans’ defensive coordinator job. And now, it appears those rumors are becoming a reality.
USC and Patterson are reportedly working on a deal that’s expected to be finalized sometime in “the near future.”
“Sources: USC is targeting former TCU coach Gary Patterson as the school’s next defensive coordinator. A deal is expected to come together in the near future,” college football insider Pete Thamel reported on Wednesday.
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Patterson is the winningest coach in TCU history, leading the Horned Frogs to a 181-79 record over his 22 seasons as head coach from 2000-21. His decades-long coaching career in Fort Worth featured six conference championships and 11 seasons with at least 10 wins.
After mutually parting ways with TCU in 2021, Patterson took a job as special assistant to head coach Steve Sarkisian at Texas in 2022. The 65-year-old coach most recently served as a consultant for Baylor in 2024.
Patterson was named to the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class in his first year of eligibility.
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Patterson will be Riley’s third defensive coordinator at USC. Riley originally brought Alex Grinch over from Oklahoma before the 2022 season, but ultimately fired him with two games remaining in the Trojans’ 2023 campaign. Lynn served as DC in Southern California over the last two seasons.
USC finished its 2025 college football season with a 9-4 record, ironically capping off its campaign with an overtime loss to Patterson’s former TCU program in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
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