USC football hosted a small media session Thursday introducing the new defensive staff hirings. This was the first time Head Coach Lincoln Riley spoke with the media since the Trojans’ win in the Holiday Bowl last December. 

The Trojans’ defense has been through a lot over the past few seasons, from the hiring of former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch to his eventual downfall and mid-season firing. The firing happened amid a horrendous streak of the defense allowing 34 points or more in six straight games. 

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Riley eventually made the splash and landed UCLA’s defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn. With the Trojans’ crosstown rival, Lynn excelled on the defensive side for the Bruins, where they decreased their points allowed per game by 10.62 points compared to the previous season.

“The thing I was most impressed about when we first talked was I think he’s a really, really tremendous teacher,” Riley said in a press conference Thursday. “He’s got a real calm, patient demeanor, and I think he’ll do a great job of bringing the room together.”

Lynn added some super-star potential of his own to the defensive staff, bringing in an entirely new staff except for defensive line coach Shaun Nua. Lynn added the former defensive line coach for the Los Angeles Rams, Eric Henderson; the former North Dakota State University head coach, Matt Entz; and the former defensive coordinator for the University of Houston, Doug Belk.

Henderson comes to the college ranks of L.A. after having one of the best run defenses in the NFL for the Rams. In the 2023 season, the Rams were the eighth-best run defense in the league while having one of the best pass rushers in the league in defensive tackle Aaron Donald. 

Henderson brings that toughness mindset and recalled that this move was a “no-brainer” for him. 

“I’m always looking for challenges in my career, always looking for ways that you can grow in a profession. I think this allows that opportunity for myself, to be a part of something special that I believe Coach Riley is trying to build here,” Henderson said. 

Along with a Super Bowl champion, Lynn brought in Entz, who is renowned for performing exceptionally well at the college level. During his tenure at North Dakota State, Entz was a two-time NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision national champion and was named the FCS National Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021.

Entz took a pretty sharp professional turn to come to USC. He was head coach of a college football team and is now merely on the defensive staff. 

“There were opportunities to continue to further my career as a head coach,” Entz said. “At the same time, you have to understand the power of the logo here at USC. To me, this is one of the three or four blue blood programs where, when this program is operating at maximum capacity, it’s good for college football.”

The last piece of the defensive puzzle is Belk, a defensive specialist who has coached 13 All-American Athletic Conference honorees and five NFL Draft selections. 

In 2021 with the Cougars, Belk was at the forefront of one of the best pass defenses in the nation, ranked 18th in the nation in passing yards allowed per game and ranked No. 5 in the nation in sacks, with 45.

Belk watched the Trojans in the few practices before their Holiday Bowl appearance and was impressed with what he saw at practice and during the game. 

“Really proud of the way the guys competed, from getting to see those guys for a couple days and the bowl game,” Belk said. “A lot of guys accepted challenges that had not been in those positions prior to the bowl game, and I thought they competed at a high level.”

Now that Riley has finalized his defensive staff, the motivation and willingness to win will be there, but will that actually play out on the grass? We’ll get a rough idea of that answer once USC starts its spring ball practices on March 19 to get ready for the annual spring football game on April 20 at L.A. Memorial Coliseum.