Lincoln Riley explains what USC is looking for in search for new DC
Lincoln Riley knows he needs to find an answer at the defensive coordinator position. Alex Grinch was fired from the position after his defense allowed the Washington Huskies to put up 52 points and almost 600 total yards of offense.
Overall, the Trojans have the No. 120 total defense in the nation, No. 121 rush defense, and No. 115 passing defense. They’ve allowed nearly 35 points per game this season, a mark that ranks 10th in the Pac-12.
On Monday, Riley spoke about the need to get the right person for the job heading into 2024. The coach knows that money won’t be an issue, considering he’s at USC.
#USC HC Lincoln Riley on DC search: “This is USC. You’re going to have a chance to go hire just about anybody that you want.”
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) November 21, 2023
Riley also stressed the importance of getting a coach that has “shown a consistent level of excellence.” This implies the team will not be in the running for any young up-and-comers.
#USC HC Lincoln Riley on DC search: “We want people that have a proven track record and people that have done this at a high level and shown a consistent level of excellence.”
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) November 21, 2023
As far as when the search will begin, Riley made it clear that he already has a list of potentials. He mentioned that “you always have people in mind for various positions.”
#USC HC Lincoln Riley on the defensive coordinator search: “You always have lists. You always have people in mind for various positions. There’s a lot of research that gets done at this point on some of these top-tier prospects.”
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) November 21, 2023
Hear more from Riley below:
