USC defensive coordinator search update for November 20, with notes and analysis
USC football is a total mess right now. To be clear, the Trojans’ problems go far beyond their defensive coordinator. They probably need to fire strength coach Bennie Wylie, but if they don’t, Lincoln Riley must at least reconsider how he structures his program and organizes his practices. If USC doesn’t change at least one of those two components — strength and conditioning or practice structure — the Trojans are likely to remain stuck. They will continue to be mediocre.
This is why the defensive coordinator search is both important and fascinating, however. When defensive coordinator candidates interview for this job in the coming weeks, they will ask Riley about his methods and his strength program. If the answers Riley gives them are turn-offs, or Riley insists he won’t make changes to his operational philosophy (or both), those elite coordinators might choose to not come to USC. If Riley realizes elite coaching talent is staying away from USC because he’s unwilling to change his larger methods, that could force Riley to make changes on a larger scale.
It will be interesting to see if the interview process forces Riley to make bigger changes, or if Riley already knows he has to make those changes. One way or the other, those bigger changes need to be made.
Having established that key point, let’s now look at the updated situation involving the USC defensive coordinator search. The big story: Lincoln Riley should have a great candidate pool to choose from. We’ll explain why in our latest update:
DAVE ARANDA LIKELY TO BE FIRED
Aranda won’t leave Baylor on his own. He will need to be fired. After Baylor got blown out by TCU this past Saturday, the odds of Aranda being fired are much higher. They are better than 50-50.
If Riley can’t get Jim Leonhard, Aranda might be the second-best choice … and it looks like he will be available, though it’s not yet a lock.
Also worth noting:
Aranda and Lincoln Riley served as graduate assistants at Texas Tech at the same time under the late Mike Leach in 2003. In 2002 Aranda was a GA while Lincoln was a backup quarterback for Texas Tech.
TOM ALLEN LIKELY TO BE FIRED
Tom Allen is likely gone at Indiana after the Hoosiers lost to lowly Michigan State. Allen is not a good head coach, but he is a sharp defensive coordinator with Big Ten knowledge. He would be a terrific hire for Lincoln Riley, and he is likely to be available next Sunday, after Indiana finishes its season on Saturday versus Purdue.
MICHIGAN STATE JOB
Michigan State has a head coaching job to fill. Rumors are all over the place, including an interesting one involving Arizona coach Jedd Fisch. What if Fisch leaves Arizona for Michigan State? Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen would have a choice between going with Fisch to East Lansing or moving to USC. Nansen’s Arizona defense has been great this season. If Riley has a chance to interview him, he should.
SYRACUSE JOB IS OPEN
The Syracuse job is now open after the Orange fired head coach Dino Babers. If a USC defensive coordinator candidate is interested in the Syracuse job, Riley and Jennifer Cohen need to make a convincing case for why the USC defensive coordinator job is a better career move than taking the Syracuse head coaching job.
SAM PITTMAN STAYS AT ARKANSAS
Arkansas has retained Sam Pittman for 2024, as reported by Razorbacks Wire, so this job won’t come open and become an option for USC defensive coordinator candidates.
ZACH ARNETT
There isn’t anything new to report about Arnett, who was recently fired as Mississippi State head coach, but his ties to Mike Leach make him a candidate Lincoln Riley might reach out to. We will soon find out how central Arnett is in USC’s search.
JIM LEONHARD
Jim Leonhard is on Bret Bielema’s staff at Illinois. The Fighting Illini finish their season this upcoming weekend versus Northwestern. We will soon see if Riley and USC are able to line up an interview, and if Leonhard is seriously interested in the job. Many industry analysts think Leonhard wants a head coaching job, and nothing less. If so, USC will have to either convince him otherwise or move to its second choice, which could be Dave Aranda. Tom Allen and Zach Arnett would be attractive third and fourth choices.
TEXAS A&M JOB
Nothing new has happened in Texas A&M’s head coaching search as of Monday morning. We remind you that if A&M goes after former Aggie defensive coordinator Mike Elko as its new head coach, Duke defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci, who works under Elko, might have to choose between A&M and USC. Santucci might also be offered the Duke head coaching job as well. Lots of plot points exist here.
MANNY DIAZ
Diaz is getting paid handsomely to be James Franklin’s very successful defensive coordinator in the Big Ten at Penn State. Some USC fans want Diaz, but it’s hard to see him changing schools within the same conference, especially since he is well-paid right now. Diaz would likely leave Penn State for another head coaching opportunity, but since Diaz has already failed at Miami — where he is a native son — it’s hard to find another job which would really call out to him and pull him away from Penn State.
UCLA AND CHIP KELLY
Chip Kelly appears to be safe at UCLA, though the Bruins haven’t made an official announcement that Kelly will be retained (as of early Monday morning). We’ll wait for an official announcement.
MORE ON UCLA
If Kelly is retained by UCLA, that means UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn won’t be promoted to UCLA head coach. That’s good for USC. The bad news for USC is that it now has less of a chance to poach Lynn from UCLA.
MISSISSIPPI STATE JOB
Nothing new to report on the Mississippi State job. We will see how attractive a job this is for any potential USC defensive coordinator candidate. It could be that Jim Leonhard wants this job, but we don’t know anything right now.
GARY PATTERSON
Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson has said he wants to be a head coach again. Could Lincoln Riley convince him to be a defensive coordinator? The odds aren’t good, but Riley should give Patterson a call this week.
CAROUSEL CENTRAL
Stay with Trojans Wire for coaching carousel updates and defensive coordinator search updates. We all know how important this search is. We will stay on top of it for you.
