The USC Trojans are expected to hire Baylor defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach Paul Gonzales as a defensive backs coach. Gonzales was a longtime assistant under new USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson at TCU.

USC football’s 2026 conference schedule was officially announced by the Big Ten on Tuesday afternoon, headlined by a Week 0 nonconference matchup and seven straight games to start the season.

The Trojans return record-setting kicker Ryon Sayeri but will have a new punter, long snapper and special teams coach

The Bears could be losing one of their top coaches.

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.

USC football secured the No. 1 recruiting class of 2026 in December when it landed one five-star commit and 21 four-star commits in a 35-player commitment class. The Trojans became the first non-SEC program to clinch the top recruiting

The USC Trojans have high expectations to make the College Football Playoff in coach Lincoln Riley's fifth season. An early prediction for the 2026 CFP bracket could mean the Trojans are in for a memorable season.