In his years-long pursuit to build a great defense at USC, Lincoln Riley first entrusted the job to a familiar face from his Oklahoma days. When that failed, Riley handed the reins of his defense — and a massive paycheck — to a rising star in the coaching ranks … who then left two years later.
Now, in his third try at finding a leader for USC’s defense, Riley is working to lure a Hall of Famer to Hollywood.
USC is closing in on a deal to hire Gary Patterson, the longtime Texas Christian head coach, as its defensive coordinator, a person familiar with the decision but not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.