USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who worked under Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, is trying to bring toughness, grit and speed back to Hollywood in 2022 and beyond.
Alex Grinch had been part of the Oklahoma program since 2019 and has been largely credited as the reason the Sooner defense made strides in recent seasons. With previous stints at Washington State and Ohio State, the 41-year-old assistant has the experience to fit in seamlessly at a program like USC.
Grinch exists on a USC staff which includes Donte Williams, a 40-year-old recruiting maven in the L.A. area who previously worked with Oregon, San Jose State, Nebraska, and Arizona. Williams was hired as USC’s defensive passing game coordinator and cornerback coach by Clay Helton in 2020. Williams was retained on USC’s staff by Riley in January of 2022 as the Trojans’ defensive back coach and defensive passing game coordinator.
I talked to football scout Bill Carroll about the USC defense and what Grinch and Williams need to change.
Trojans Wire: What will be the biggest keys for Alex Grinch and Donte Williams to change the swagger and the defensive culture for Southern California?
Bill Carroll: Obvious things are getting more tackles for loss, getting consistent pressure from multiple linemen on defense, and being a smarter defense. Can they avoid giving up big plays and committing big penalties? Will they be stout against the run and blanket receivers down the field so that the pass rush can do damage?
Will they become a top-20 defense versus the run? If Alex Grinch and Donte Williams get the defense to do all of those things, then 9-3 or 10-2 is possible.
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