Though he was no longer officially affiliated with TCU, longtime Horned Frogs Head Coach Gary Patterson watched his former program upset USC in a thriller of a Valero Alamo Bowl with pride.

The red-zone overtime stop that forced a Trojan field goal might’ve reminded him of the five TCU teams he led to the best total defense in the nation during his 21-year stint as head coach from 2001 to 2021.

“Great job fighting back, Frogs win!” Patterson posted on X right after the game, followed by three frog emojis.

Separated by just one post, Patterson and his social media presence are now singing a different tune — one with a bit more cardinal and gold.

Patterson, a 65-year-old College Football Hall of Fame coach, was named USC’s next defensive coordinator Friday. While he is most known for his 24-season run at TCU, where he won six conference championships and made 17 bowl games, Patterson took to his lesser-known hobby of songwriting to commemorate the moment.

His post on X late Friday evening linked to a USC football Instagram post featuring a Reel of Trojan defensive highlights with his song “Take a Step Back” presiding over. With Head Coach Lincoln Riley’s most important hire of the offseason finalized, the rest of the Trojan staff has reportedly begun to take shape as Riley prepares for a critical year that may determine his future at USC — making an experienced DC hire even more important.

After failing to lead the Trojans to a College Football Playoff berth in his first four seasons, Riley will need to prove he can win at USC’s high standards to secure his position, as questions about his playcalling and ability to win competitive road games linger next to the cancellation of the historic rivalry with Notre Dame.

Who is Gary Patterson?

While Patterson is most known for his stint at TCU, he began his coaching career as a linebacker coach at Tennessee Tech in 1984. After playing safety and outside linebacker for Kansas State in the early 1980s, Patterson spent most of his early coaching career on the defensive end, coaching linebackers or working as a defensive coordinator for multiple programs.

Patterson kicked off his Horned Frogs career with three seasons as defensive coordinator before his storied stretch as head coach, where he led the team to a 181-79 overall record.

“As a Hall of Fame coach, who is one of the game’s most highly regarded defensive minds, he brings a wealth of success and experience to our program,” Riley said in a news release Friday. “His impact will be immediate, elevating our defense and strengthening the culture we’ve built.”

By the time Patterson and TCU agreed to mutually part ways midway through a tough 2021 season, he was the second-longest-tenured coach in college football, only behind Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. In his time with the Horned Frogs, the team rose from Conference USA, a low-tier conference in Division I, to the Big 12, and established itself as a national brand.

“For more than 20 years, coach Gary Patterson was the force that drove Horned Frog football to championship success,” TCU Chancellor Daniel Pullin said in a Jan. 16 news release, announcing Patterson’s induction into the hall of fame. “Gary’s induction into the College Football Hall of Fame is a well-earned celebration of a legendary career.”

In the time since, Patterson has worked in a few advisory roles, most recently as a senior-level strategist at Baylor in 2024, but has largely stepped out of the limelight.

What is the status of USC’s defense?

Riley and Patterson were frequent Big 12 foes while Riley was head coach at Oklahoma, forging respect. Riley even said he was “sick” when he heard of Patterson’s exit, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Soon after, Riley left for USC, taking former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch with him. Under Grinch, the Trojan defense struggled mightily and was among the worst major Division I programs in most major statistics.

For the last two seasons, D’Anton Lynn has been at the helm of the defense, reviving the group with moderate success, despite inconsistency and shortcomings against top opponents. Lynn led last season’s group to the 49th-best total defense in the nation and earned a reputation as one of the strongest second-half defenses after multiple turnaround efforts late in the season.

However, after Lynn left Dec. 30 to take the same position at his alma mater, Penn State, Riley was forced to look for a replacement.

Defensive line coach Eric Henderson took over calling plays during the Alamo Bowl and received public support from multiple young stars, including freshmen defensive tackles Jahkeem Stewart and Floyd Boucard, but Riley ultimately went with Patterson instead. The Trojan defense received stark criticism for multiple missed tackles late in the bowl game, but with Lynn leaving on the day of the game, it is hard to attribute the problem to any individual coach.

Though he had previously supported Henderson on X, Stewart posted “Welcome coach time to get to work,” on Wednesday, quoting a post saying USC was nearing a deal with Patterson.

Henderson’s status is unclear, though the Georgia Tech DC opening that he was once linked to was filled Jan. 14.

What does Patterson’s hiring mean for the rest of the staff?

As Patterson’s hiring became solidified, other positions on USC’s staff were also clarified. A source told the L.A. Times USC decided not to renew secondary coach Doug Belk’s contract on the same day it hired former Nebraska Special Teams Coordinator Mike Ekeler for the special teams role. Ekeler will also reportedly coach linebackers, which he did previously for USC in 2013.

Belk, a former defensive coordinator at Houston, was one of the defense’s top assistant coaches, playing a big part in the development of players like Bishop Fitzgerald, a consensus All-American who is expected to be selected in the NFL Draft in May.

Ekeler was only at Nebraska for one season, but he completely transformed the Cornhuskers’ special teams game, turning them into one of the most prolific units in the country.

What Ekeler’s hiring means for Special Teams Coordinator Ryan Dougherty and Linebackers Coach Rob Ryan is still unclear, though USC’s coaching lineup should be finalized soon as spring camp nears.