Caleb Williams and Alex Grinch are on opposite sides of the ball for USC. To a considerable extent, they have very little if anything to do with each other. Grinch coaches the defense, not Caleb or the offense. That’s what Lincoln Riley, Kliff Kingsbury, and other staffers are paid to do.
Yet, beyond the obvious point that Grinch’s defense needs to give Caleb the ball — and give him enough snaps to do his magic, in scoreboard situations which are not overly negative — there’s another connection between the quarterback and the defensive coordinator which shapes the larger reality facing USC heading into the 2023 season.
USC football analyst Josh Webb said this last year, before season one of the Riley-Grinch-Caleb era in Los Angeles:
“USC fans are going to have to shut out the noise about Alex Grinch’s defenses from Oklahoma fans even if the Trojans don’t get off to the best start,” Webb said. “This team is loaded offensively, but it’s not there on defense and likely needs a year or two to address everything. Now thanks to the transfer window and recruiting rules, USC can get this done quicker than in the past but they still need to acknowledge that building a defense is going to take time and it’s going to take patience. This is just what Clay Helton left in the cupboard.”
Patience was the right approach heading into 2022. Entering 2023, ideas of letting the program find its bearings on defense in a two- or three-year window aren’t as easy to sell to the fan base. Why is this?
Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy last year. He was expected to be great, but most people would agree he exceeded the already-high expectations. It’s such a point of focus for USC and Lincoln Riley to not squander this last season with Caleb Williams in 2023. That’s why it’s harder for USC to be patient on defense, and to let Alex Grinch grow into the job.
Fair or not, that’s the new reality at USC.
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