USC Defense Revival Under Patterson | USC Trojans Football News

USC’s coaching staff is undergoing a major shakeup as Lincoln Riley brings in Gary Patterson to overhaul the struggling defense — a move that could be the key to playoff contention. With Patterson returning from retirement to focus solely on defensive strategy, and Mike Ekeler stepping in to fix shaky special teams, the Trojans are stacking the deck with elite recruits in 2026. If they can turn things around on defense and capitalize on their new talent, USC might just crack the College Football Playoff’s top tier — even if the odds are currently stacked against them. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/08fe73b76d69848b