USC working to hire Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator

USC and former TCU head coach Gary Patterson are working toward finalizing a deal to make him the Trojans’ next defensive coordinator, sources tell On3’s Chris Low, Brett McMurphy and Pete Nakos. He’s emerged as the top target of the search in recent days, with USC informing other candidates it was headed in a different direction.

On3 first reported on Sunday that Patterson and the Trojans had been in communication about the opening. USC’s defensive coordinator job came open when D’Anton Lynn left the Trojans for the same role at Penn State.

Patterson was a defensive coordinator before 21-year tenure as TCU’s head coach. Following his 2021 departure from TCU, he’s served in off-field roles with Texas and, most recently, Baylor. As the Horned Frogs’ head coach, he compiled a 181-79 career record, leading the program from Conference USA to the Mountain West and then to the Big 12.

Gary Patterson and Lincoln Riley have a relationship from their time as Big 12 head coaches and are good friends. A two-time AP Coach of the Year, Patterson combined for 11 final AP Top 25 rankings at TCU, including seven top 10 finishes, a No. 2 ranking in 2010 and a No. 3 ranking in 2014. 

Riley finished his fourth season at USC with a 9-4 mark. Lynn reinvented the Trojans’ defense in two seasons. In Lynn’s first season at USC, he led a massive one-season defensive turnaround. USC held opponents to an average of just 24.1 points per game, improving from 34.4 in 2023. The Trojans finished the 2024 season ranked No. 21 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference in third-down conversion percentage defense (0.335), compared to ranking No. 106 (0.436) in 2023.