Defensive coordinator searches aren’t as dramatic as head coaching searches, but they’re still centerpiece moments in the existence of a blue-blood college football program. USC’s decision — Lincoln Riley’s decision — on a defensive coordinator is likely to have far-reaching effects on what happens to the Trojans in the Big Ten Conference.
Riley and athletic director Jennifer Cohen need to get this deal done relatively soon as well, mostly for purposes of the transfer portal — which opens on December 4 — and also to change recruiting momentum. USC had a top-five recruiting class early in the summer, but ever since the Fourth of July weekend, the Trojans have steadily fallen in the rankings. They’re almost outside the top 20.
A new defensive coordinator with an excellent reputation could halt that slide and turn things around.
There are other details to emphasize in this defensive coordinator search. One is that regardless of the hire, Lincoln Riley’s methods and organizational foundations need to be adjusted. Those methods did not produce a good team in 2023, nor did they produce tough players. It’s not just a coordinator problem, but obviously the right coordinator is necessary to revive USC football.
We talked about all of that and more on our weekly YouTube show with Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football.
One important note: When USC makes the hire, Trojans Wire will have a live show right after the news breaks (two to three hours at most, hopefully sooner than that). If you subscribe to the USC channel at The Voice of College Football, you will get a notification of when our live show and other breaking-news YouTube broadcasts will begin.
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