When Lincoln Riley was hired at USC in 2021, one of his first calls was to Alex Grinch. The defensive coordinator had already helped turn around his Oklahoma defense, and in the process, the two coaches had come to trust each other. Their families got close. So when Riley arrived in L.A., on an early-morning plane that November, Grinch was on the same flight.
It turned out to be a rocky ride for Grinch at USC. He lasted less than two seasons and presided over two of the worst defenses in school history.