Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson is closing on a deal to become the next defensive coordinator at USC, according to multiple reports.
ESPN and 247Sports reported Wednesday that Patterson was in the final stages of making a deal.
Patterson will replace defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who left the Trojans to become the defensive coordinator at Penn State days before the Horned Frogs defeated USC in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30.
The Trojans went 9-4 last season (7-2 in the Big Ten).
Patterson, 65, is the winningest head coach in the history of TCU football and was selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2026 last week.
Patterson pioneered the 4-2-5 defensive scheme that prioritized using a versatile nickelback over a traditional linebacker. Many teams now run variations of the defense to combat spread offenses.
Patterson spent 24 seasons in Fort Worth, transforming TCU into a national program with wins in the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin in 2010 and the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss in 2014. Patterson had a record of 181-79. He also served as TCU’s defensive coordinator from 1998-2000 before taking the head coaching job.
TCU parted ways with Patterson in 2021 and hired Sonny Dykes.
Patterson was briefly an assistant at Baylor in 2022 and Texas in 2024.
Steven Johnson
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