Lincoln Riley has USC ready for all comers with addition of Hall of Fame coach

Lincoln Riley may have unlocked USC's full potential in 2026 with the hiring of Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator.

The 65-year-old coach was recently announced as a Class of 2026 member of the College Football Hall of Fame. In his 22 seasons with TCU, Patterson compiled a 181-79 record with the Horned Frogs and from 2002-2011 his record at TCU was 103-23 with a 13-0 season and a win in the Rose Bowl in 2010.

Gary Patterson will bring a wealth of experience to USC

Replacing D'Anton Lynn was going to be a tough task. Lynn had rebuilt the Trojans' defense into one of the most improved units in the country before heading off to join Matt Campbell at Penn State. There were a lot of rumblings about where Riley would go with this hiring, but when he didn't make an in-house promotion, immediately it was clear he was looking to make a splash hire. 

Patterson achieves that goal for Riley. And he's remained active in coaching since stepping down as the head man at TCU. He stayed in the building at Fort Worth as a special assistant for another year and then held a similar advisory role for Baylor. But now Patterson gets back to doing what he loves, coaching, and he'll have a wealth of talent, both experienced and young, to work with. 

The relationship between Riley and Patterson goes back to their days in the Big XII where Riley had put his explosive offense at Oklahoma up against Patterson's strategic mind on defense for several years. There's a lot of respect there and Patterson also offers the coaching room another voice that comes from a lot of experience. In some of those tight-game situations where Riley has struggled, Patterson will be there for advice.

This move all but puts a bow on the offseason and now the 2026 USC Trojans are ready to work the next seven months until the season starts. They are loaded on the field and in the coaching room with a playoffs-or-bust mentality.