So there you have it.
The man himself, Lincoln Riley, has directly said that defensive coordinator Alex Grinch will return for the 2023 USC football season.
USC fans won’t like this, and it’s hard to blame them, but this also should not come as a surprise.
The long and short of it is this: Everyone, even Alex Grinch’s fiercest critics and skeptics, knew that USC didn’t have the dudes in 2022. The Trojans didn’t have enough quality. They didn’t have enough depth. They didn’t have enough talent or speed or muscle or tackling ability on defense. Too many Clay Helton holdovers. Not even transfer portal reinforcements. Not enough time to get this ship sailing in the right direction on defense.
You can say that Grinch being the defensive coordinator is a problem or, if not that, at least a concern, but even if you’re a huge Grinch skeptic (and you’re not alone), this is the one point you cannot argue against: Grinch didn’t have the groceries. He didn’t have the ingredients for a great defense. Player acquisition is the most important thing on defense at USC right now.
The obvious retort from the Grinch-skeptical vantage point: Coaching still matters a lot.
You can see how gifted Lincoln Riley is at coaching offense. Why not have a gifted, elite, amazing defensive coordinator? Alex Grinch isn’t a bad coach, but he isn’t elite. Why not go for an elite coordinator? It’s the valid point no Grinch apologist or defender can refute.
The one thing everyone — the Grinch skeptics and Grinch apologists — can agree on: 2023 is a prove-it year for USC’s defensive coordinator.
Alex Grinch will be retained as USC’s defensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley confirmed today.
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) January 10, 2023
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