The University of Southern California (USC) has fired its defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch, two games before the end of the regular season. USC has been on a losing streak, with three losses out of the last four games, following a strong beginning of the season, as ABC7 reported.

Head coach Lincoln Riley promoted defensive line coach Shaun Nua and inside linebackers coach Brian Odom to positions of co-defensive coordinators. Taylor Mays, formerly an analyst, has further been promoted to field duties, focusing on the Trojans' safeties, confirmed by CBS Los Angeles.

As reported by ABC7, Grinch's dismissal has led to scrutiny of his performance and contribution to the USC's failing defense. Having initially served as Riley's defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2019, Grinch moved with Riley to Los Angeles in late 2021. Yet, the defenses under their guidance have consistently underperformed, notably so in this season.

In the last six games, USC has conceded on average 42.0 points and 483.7 yards per game, as detailed by CBS Los Angeles. These figures place the Trojans at 119th out of 130 teams in terms of yards allowed per game (436.9) and 121st in points allowed (34.5 per game) in the Football Bowl Subdivision for the season.