Gary Patterson, USC Reportedly Working on DC Contract to Join Lincoln Riley's Staff

USC is reportedly closing in on a notable name to become the next defensive coordinator on head coach Lincoln Riley's staff.

Pete Nakos, Chris Low and Brett McMurphy of On 3 reported Wednesday that the Trojans and former TCU head coach Gary Patterson "are working toward finalizing a deal" after he "emerged as the top target of the search in recent days."

Patterson is best known for his time as TCU's head coach, but he was a longtime defensive assistant at various stops prior to his tenure with the Horned Frogs. He was also more recently an assistant for Texas and Baylor following his time at TCU.

Still, he is a notable name because he was a head coach for 21 seasons from 2001 through 2021. He finished his time at TCU with a 181-79 record and 11 bowl victories, including a win at the Rose Bowl to end the 2010 campaign.

While TCU is now in the Big 12, it was the program's ability to consistently outperform expectations as a Mountain West program under Patterson that helped earn the invite to a power conference.

The Horned Frogs won double-digit games 11 times during his tenure.

As for USC, the defensive coordinator position is open after D'Anton Lynn to take the same role with Penn State under new head coach Matt Campbell.

The Trojans are coming off a 9-4 campaign that ended with an Alamo Bowl loss to Patterson's old program in TCU, and defense was largely the issue in all of those losses. They gave up 34 points to Illinois, 34 points to Notre Dame, 42 points to Oregon and 30 points to the Horned Frogs.

In fact, defense has largely been the primary issue preventing the program from restoring some of the glory days of the past during Riley's tenure. USC is yet to make the College Football Playoff with Riley, but expectations figure to be high in 2026.

It seems like it will be up to Patterson to help the defense deliver on those expectations.