Let’s be very, very clear here: If Lincoln Riley and USC decide to retain Alex Grinch as defensive coordinator for the 2023 college football season, it’s not a terrible, unforgivable move.
We knew this defense wasn’t going to be good heading into the season. USC needed dudes on defense, and it largely did not have them. We also can say — something even the fiercest Grinch critic would agree with — that the Trojans need to get major reinforcements on defense in the transfer portal. If that doesn’t happen, any conversation about a coaching change is secondary (or linebacker, or defensive line — ha, ha!).
Getting better talent is the first priority for USC. We can be fair to Alex Grinch and acknowledge that the Trojans didn’t have nearly enough talent on that side of the ball.
However, after this Cotton Bowl disaster against Tulane, even the Grinch apologists or those (like myself, full disclosure) who felt it was fine if he got the 2023 season have to admit this much: If four weeks of bowl practice and preparation couldn’t generate any improvement whatsoever — USC’s defense truly regressed in this game — Alex Grinch has clearly lost a significant degree of leverage.
Even Alex Grinch would acknowledge he has plainly failed.
Let’s go deeper into a very important conversation: