Lincoln Riley is officially the new head coach at USC and he’s already building out his new staff. The former Oklahoma Sooners head coach has made a few early hires.
Rather than start out with those that he’s unfamiliar with, Riley will dip into a pool of assistants that he knows quite well from his time in Norman.
During his USC introductory press conference on Monday afternoon, Riley confirmed that he would be bringing three Sooners‘ staffers with him to the Pac-12 program.
He announced that Alex Grinch would take over as the Trojans new defensive coordinator, Dennis Simmons as wide receivers coach and Benny Wylie as strength coach.
Lincoln Riley confirms Alex Grinch as DC, Dennis Simmons as WR coach and Benny Wiley as strength coach
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 29, 2021
Grinch has been a staple of the Oklahoma program since 2019 and has been largely credited as the reason that the Sooners defense has made strides in recent seasons. With previous stints at Washington State and Ohio State, the 41-year-old assistant certainly has the experience to fit in seamlessly at a program like USC.
Simmons joined Oklahoma at the same time Riley did in 2015 and he stayed on once Riley took over the head job in 2017. He was named assistant head coach this past spring, so it makes sense that he would follow the former Sooners head coach out west to USC.
Wylie boasts ample experience as a strength coach at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’d been with Oklahoma since 2018.
There’s still plenty of time for Riley to round out his new Trojans staff, but the fact that he’s already checked off a few boxes shows that he’s eager to get the process over and done with.
At that point, he’ll be able to focus on hitting the recruiting trail and the transfer portal, both of which will surely be crucial in his first year at the helm.
The post Lincoln Riley Confirms First Staff Hires At USC appeared first on The Spun.