The 2023 Cotton Bowl was the kind of moment which would normally convince a head coach to do things differently. Seeing Tulane score 16 points in the final five minutes to turn a seemingly easy 45-30 win into a shocking 46-45 loss should have convinced Lincoln Riley to fire Alex Grinch on the spot and initiate a new defensive coordinator search.
The fact that Riley had Caleb Williams coming back for one more season, along with a lot of other talented players on the USC roster, should have made Riley aware of the unique opportunity the Trojans faced.
Getting the right defensive coordinator and bringing him in to maximize Caleb Williams’ talents — and win the Pac-12 championship — seemed like the move Riley needed to make.
Instead, he felt that since USC did well in Year 1, a second year with Alex Grinch’s system would provide continuity for players. It wasn’t a great argument, but it was an understandable one. Riley brought Grinch to Los Angeles from Oklahoma, so he felt giving Grinch a second USC season was the right thing to do.
Understandable. Reasonable.
Also not the right move.
Riley bet big on Alex Grinch and lost everything. Now he has to search for a new defensive coordinator, but it’s more than that. Riley has to consider major staffing changes beyond one man. He has to rethink how he runs his program.
Riley didn’t learn from the Cotton Bowl. Maybe Saturday’s loss to UCLA will truly open his eyes and make him see how much he needs to change his ways.
People are still talking about the Cotton Bowl, in case you haven’t noticed, and that’s worth thinking about as Riley’s career arrives at a crossroads: