USC's Gary Patterson out to prove college football hasn't passed him by

['Staff Writer', 'Ryan Kartje Is The Usc Beat Writer At The Los Angeles Times. He Joined The Times After Six Years With The Southern California News Group. A Michigan Native', 'University Of Michigan Graduate', 'Kartje Previously Wrote For Fox Sports Wisconsin', 'The Bloomington', 'Ind.'] News from California, across the nation and world - Los Angeles Times 2026-08-09 00:00:00

They talked briefly about giving him a shot at safety on Patterson’s vaunted TCU defense. AdvertisementWhen USC announced it was hiring Patterson as Riley’s defensive coordinator in January, ears perked up across college football. On one hand, Patterson, 66, is a freshly minted College Football Hall of Famer and one of the great defensive minds of the modern era. Advertisement“All I did was do football,” Patterson said. USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson fist bumps linebacker Desman Stephens during practice on Aug. 5.