Lincoln Riley explains decision to part ways with Alex Grinch
The USC Trojans lost their third out of four games in a row on Saturday, giving up 52 points to Washington in the process. Following the loss, head coach Lincoln Riley made the decision to move on from defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.
On Monday, Riley then explained what went into the decision to part ways with Grinch.
“Watched the game Saturday night, slept on it, and thought about it a lot throughout the night,” Lincoln Riley said. “Didn’t sleep much. Thought about it a little bit more Sunday morning and just felt like it was in the best interest of our program, both for this year — because we still have a lot to play for, we still have a really cool opportunity in front of us — and for the future that we needed to make the change.”
USC has struggled on defense this season, seemingly holding back a fantastic offense. The Trojans are currently 123rd out of 133 teams in total defense, giving up 436 yards per game. They’re also 124th in scoring defense, giving up 34.5 points per game. In five games this season, USC has given up at least 40 points.
In the end, Lincoln Riley still feels USC has a lot to play for. That’s why he made the move when he did.
“We simply weren’t making the progress, I think, that we all expected to make. It’s tough because these decisions, when you make them, there’s no guarantees in this game. I mean, we’re two football snaps from being undefeated in this conference right now. You just never know exactly how these things are going to go. Alex is a great coach, a great person, he’s proven that a lot throughout his career. I’m disappointed it didn’t work here. I know he is as well. But we have to move on. We’re going to move on. Excited for Coach [Shaun] Nua and Coach [Brian] Odom, their opportunity, excited for Taylor Mays, excited for our team. We’ve got a big-time challenge and a big-time opportunity right in front of us here with these last two games. We win these two, we can put ourselves in a pretty cool position,” Riley said.
“So that’s our focus. My focus going forward, if we were in situation where we didn’t have a whole lot left to play for in terms of a conference championship, having an opportunity there, I might feel a little bit different. But we’re still — we’re very laser-focused on these opportunities ahead. Whatever comes next after that, we’ll deal with it at an appropriate time.”
Lincoln Riley initially hired Alex Grinch when he was at Oklahoma in 2019. He then brought him to USC from Norman when he made the move ahead of the 2022 season.
“Well, first, SC Trojan fans should know he was one of the first people to say yes and get on the plane. He wanted to be here and saw the potential and believed in this place as much as I did. I think that ought to be appreciated,” Riley said.
“Second, he was a part of the greatest turnaround in this school’s history, and that should be appreciated. I know things defensively through the end of last year and throughout this season, especially kind of from mid-season on have not been what either one of us wanted, and that’s obviously why we’re here today. So, I think that says enough.”
Ultimately, Lincoln Riley did emphasize it was his decision and his decision alone to move on from Alex Grinch.
Matt Leinart shares his thoughts on the firing of Alex Grinch
Former USC Trojans star and current college football analyst Matt Leinart shared his thoughts on the firing of Alex Grinch.
“So first, a lot of thoughts about this. I know Coach Grinch well, he’s a great guy. He’s got a family, he’s got kids, he’s had success coaching, he’s been coaching a long time. So everybody’s gonna say he’s awful, he’s terrible, he’s this or that. Trust me, I have my frustrations too. Everyone’s human, everyone’s allowed an opinion,” Leinart said.
“I don’t think this all falls on Coach Grinch, I’ve been around football long enough, I watch enough film. There are more problems than just Coach Grinch even though everybody wants to point the finger at him. He is taking responsibility and I’m sure he knows he has to get better, I think we can all evaluate that and say he probably could have done maybe a better job. That’s okay.”