Gary Patterson lays out his defensive goals for 2026

LOS ANGELES --  "The time is now." 

The assertive slogan has been profoundly posted across all of USC's football pages, and it couldn't be more in tune with the direction the program itself is heading. 

After locking up the No.1 recruiting class for 2026, the Trojans then turned their sights on the defensive front as second-year defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn announced he would leave the Trojans for his alma mater, Penn State. 

It was a lengthy process, but the Trojans formally announced on January 23 that they had hired longtime TCU head coach, Gary Patterson, to lead the defense.  

"We went through a pretty long, extensive process to get to this hire," USC head coach Lincoln Riley said in his opening statement before bringing out Patterson. "I want to thank all the support that we've had to get through the process and be able to make the best hire for USC football, and I feel that we've done that." 

Coach Patterson first addressed why he had been absent from the coaching game for quite some time, and was asked how he would adjust his coaching style to the new day and age of college football. 

"My job is defense; I don’t deal with NIL. I don’t deal with all those different things," Patterson said. 

Patterson also added that part of the reason he took USC's vacant defensive coordinator position was partly due to the Trojans 2026 season slate. 

USC has a tough road to a potential playoff spot in 2026, with confirmed opponents such as Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana, and many more ahead. 

Those future tests do not deter Patterson; in fact, they motivate his desire to coach again. 

"A lot of people would have run from it. That’s why I wanted to get back into it," Patterson said. 

Since landing in Southern California on Friday, coach Patterson has been hard at work, watching film from seven in the morning to eight at night, he said. 

In terms of how Patterson's defensive metrics will play out for 2026, he expects to be using the same 4-2-5 coverage defense, but he is going to tweak the scheme as needed.  

Pair that with the confidence he has in Riley's offense, according to Patterson, he believes that he can create a defense that could match the output of the offense for 2026. 

“Our goal is to teach the defense to try to get to the level the offense has played here," Patterson stated.