Whenever a program makes the difficult decision to move on from a head coach or assistant it's a very challenging moment in time. Good teams and thus programs do not hesitate when the right thing to do is the right thing. For USC and head coach Lincoln Riley, this was like tearing the fabric of your personal life. Riley had a close friend in Grinch and for him to do this was not trivial but he did and he also acted fast in finding an amazing coach in UCLA's defensive coordinator, D'Anton Lynn.
D'Anton Lynn took a program in UCLA and turned it around in one season. Sorry, but this doesn't just happen. The UCLA defense was transformed. They believed in coach Lynn and took the program to the #1 defense against the run and overall #11 Nationally. This is impressive. This was not an accident. The Bruins, like it or not, were a force on defense to be reckoned with. They challenged every play. Never took a playoff. Always swarming to the ball and anticipating their lanes like we could only hope for.
Can coach Lynn do it again? Can he take this USC Defensive roster add those new players (TP) and recruit, to build a B1G-level contender in one season? His record says perhaps. His record leans to the possible. Our kids who stayed with the program are going to be pushed and challenged to very different levels. My question is will Coach Riley allow Coach Lynn to practice physically? Will our offense benefit from a more physical practice week? I say Hell Yes. Let the kids earn their position every day. Throw out those armbands. If some struggle with the play calling then sit them down until they are responding to the moment with the right alignment for the situation. Build those LEADERS on Defense, Offense, and YES Special Teams. There needs to be a huddle up on this team and let leaders emerge.
Then there is the other little diamond in the rough. Coach Norton? Will he stay or will he change his exit on the freeway? Come home to USC and help Coach Lynn do it again and do it in 2024!
Fight On!
Steve
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