Hall of Famer Gary Patterson feels revitalized in his coaching return as USC's defensive coordinator

LOS ANGELES — Shortly after Gary Patterson’s famed two-decade tenure at TCU ended in 2021, the veteran head coach decided to take three years off from his profession to gain eligibility for the College Football Hall of Fame. When the Hall of Fame welcomed him into its 2026 class this month, Patterson was already itching to get back to work. He swiftly found his next coaching challenge as Lincoln Riley's defensive coordinator at Southern California. Patterson is an assistant again after more than two decades as the respected head coach of the overachieving Horned Frogs, but he welcomes the change with a clear knowledge of its upside. “I love it,...