USC dismisses defensive coordinator Alex Grinch
Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has been relieved of his duties, USC head coach Lincoln Riley announced today.
Defensive line coach Shaun Nua and linebacker coach Brian Odom will serve as interim co-defensive coordinators for the remainder of the season.
With an assistant coaching position open, defensive analyst Taylor Mays has been elevated to an on-field assistant as the safeties coach.
USC has been a disaster on defense this season.
The Trojans rank No. 124 in scoring defense, No. 120 in rushing defense, No. 107 in passing defense, and No. 122 in total defense through 10 games this season. USC is coming off a two-game stretch against Cal and Washington in which the Trojans allowed 101 points and 1,099 total yards.
Washington running back Dillon Johnson rushed for 256 yards against USC this past Saturday. His career high coming into the game was the 100 yards he posted against Oregon earlier this year. The 256 yards on the ground is the third-most a USC defense has ever allowed to one player.
Moving on from Grinch had long been expected, but Riley did not want to get into a discussion about big-picture defensive plans following the 52-42 loss to Washington on Saturday night. Riley seemed adamant that he would continue with Grinch throughout the 2023 season, but clearly the recent results and developments pushed him to a point where he had to announce this now.
USC will have something of a head start in pursuing its next defensive coordinator. The Trojans have two tough games to close the regular season with a trip to Oregon and then the rivalry game against UCLA. But USC’s regular season ends a week earlier than the rest of country because the Trojans have a bye the final week of the regular season.
