danton lynn

Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where the new year has gotten off to somewhat of a rocky start at USC. The defensive coordinator search drags on. The Trojans’ five-star quarterback is in the transfer portal. The women’s basketball team lost consecutive games for the first time in two years. The men’s team got pummeled on its trip through Michigan.

I talked to Eric Musselman two days after the Trojans lost to Michigan State by 29. The team was already in Minneapolis, the third leg of a brutal, three-game road swing. It was a stop I knew would mean a lot to Musselman. Minnesota, after all, was where his father, Bill Musselman, got his big break as a basketball coach. He coached in Minneapolis for four seasons and, in 1972, brought the Golden Gophers their first Big Ten title in 53 years.

“The building was sold out,” Musselman recalled proudly last week. “And then the hockey arena was sold out because of the extra people that wanted to come to games. They’d have to watch it on closed-circuit TV.”

Musselman saw it all up close at a young age — the highs, the lows of being a college coach. I think he’d agree that that time spent watching those Golden Gopher teams would ultimately serve as the foundation for his own career coaching basketball. Today, 25 years after his father died, it still feels that way to Musselman, whose career has followed an eerily similar path to his late father.

“I don’t think he did a very good job teaching me anything other than [basketball],” Musselman joked.

Every day, he finds himself asking what his dad would have done. He thinks of him most when adversity strikes, like it did last week. His Trojans, after an impressive 12-1 start, were in a tenuous spot after its first two games of the new year, reeling from two blowout losses and stuck on the road for 10 days. Musselman wondered, as they practiced that morning in Minneapolis, what his father might say to help them snap the team out of its slump.

“I felt his presence this morning, before we went to practice, telling me what he would do in this situation,” Musselman told me.

Whatever it was, it worked. USC ended its losing streak by escaping Minneapolis with a win.

His dad never saw him reach the dream they’d both been striving for. His father died less than two years before he was named the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. His absence was crushing to Musselman, who considered him his “best friend.”

In his new office, just before he was introduced as coach, Musselman broke down in tears.

“I felt like my dad had been mentoring me to do this as a baby,” Musselman told Dan Le Batard in 2025. “It was his thought that this could happen. The fact that he wasn’t going to be there for it, it hurt.”

When I heard Musselman tell that story last year, it hit me particularly hard. I lost my own dad about a year and a half ago. He died suddenly of a heart attack, and his absence has felt like a gaping hole in those mile-marker moments — such as when my son took his first steps or went to his first football game. That’s when it becomes painfully clear how long he’s been gone.

Musselman has spent his coaching career surrounded by those reminders of his father. I told him I couldn’t imagine being constantly reminded of my dad’s absence whenever I went to work.

“I would say it’s harder that way,” Musselman told me. “But also, I feel closer to him. Even though he’s not here. I wouldn’t feel like that if he’d been a dentist.”

I still find myself struggling to find that silver lining. But talking to Musselman, I found it reassuring to hear how often he still feels his father’s presence. That’s not something I ever would’ve understood before losing my dad.

On Friday, in Minneapolis, Musselman was back in the building that meant so much to him and his dad. Everywhere there were reminders of their past life, happy reminders of how much his father had meant to him — and to. so many others.

Transfer portal notes, Week 2

Husan Longstreet

(Luke Hales / Getty Images)

—Five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet is in the transfer portal. USC made its case to keep Longstreet. But he wanted to start somewhere as a redshirt freshman, ideally at a contender, and USC couldn’t give him that. There’s a small chance Longstreet could look around and decide there’s no better opportunity than the one he has in L.A. But Longstreet already visited Louisiana State. USC plans to forge on with incoming freshman Jonas Williams as its future under center.

—USC found its punter for 2026, and he’s an Aussie. Lachlan Carrigan spent last season at Memphis, averaging 43.2 yards per punt as a freshman. For what it’s worth, that’s better than USC’s punter last season, Sam Johnson, who averaged 42.1 yards per punt.

—Don’t be surprised if USC doesn’t make many more waves in the transfer window. The Trojans have added six players so far, five of which are joining the defense. New wideout Terrell Anderson is going to play a big part on offense. I like defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren as an experienced option on the interior, and cornerback Jontez Williams seems like a clear upgrade. But this portal class isn’t going to blow anyone away. The plan had always been to deemphasize transfers this season.

Chad Baker-Mazara slams two points home against Minnesota.

(David Berding / Getty Images)

—USC intends to keep its defensive staff intact. Could that affect a coordinator hire? My understanding is that USC is currently expecting to retain its defensive staff. Defensive line coach Shaun Nua was at one point brought up as a coordinator candidate at Brigham Young, his alma mater. But a hire was made. Eric Henderson was floated as a possibility at Georgia Tech, his alma mater. They chose a different coordinator Saturday. As USC searches for its own coordinator, the hope has been to find someone who would fit in alongside its current staff. Could that limit the pool of coaches considering the job? Potentially, yeah. But Lincoln Riley has made it clear ever since he came to USC that he values continuity and loyalty. That’s also been reflected in his assistants’ contracts, which would cost USC a pretty penny to buy out, if it came to that. Plans are always subject to change, depending on the candidate that comes along or how the carousel works out. But the goal right now is to keep the gang together.

—As anxious as it might make you, it’s better that USC takes its time in finding a defensive coordinator. Before USC announced the hire of Chad Bowden as general manager, fans were losing their minds at how long it was taking to bring someone in. But those same fans would probably argue now that the wait ended up being worth it. There’s no reason to think the same couldn’t be true at defensive coordinator. It’s been two weeks since Lynn left for Penn State, and there have been ongoing conversations with candidates. Don’t be surprised if the search continues on without conclusion through the next week as well.

—Star freshman Alijah Arenas’ debut will wait at least another week. The hope has always been to have the five-star freshman back by mid-January, but it’s looking more like that timeline could be pushed back a bit. Having seen him practice, it’s clear his explosiveness is intact after such a long layoff. The big question, as is often the case with knee injuries, is whether Arenas will be able to move as well on the defensive end. He should start off playing a healthy amount of minutes right away … assuming the plan stays the same.

—Chad Baker-Mazara bounced back in a big way Friday. Can he keep it up? After a brutal stretch in the state of Michigan in which the Trojans’ leading scorer shot just five of 17, Baker-Mazara scored 29 points, with eight assists. Without him, USC wouldn’t have been able to hang on in overtime against Minnesota. But relying on Baker-Mazara to be the top option could continue to produce roller-coaster results this season. Arenas could help take the pressure off, especially as the stakes are raised in the coming weeks.

—Blue chip Aussie freshman Sitaya Fagan could technically play this season for the USC women. But no matter how much the Trojans may need the 6-foot-4 standout’s size and athleticism in the paint, I’m told USC will stick to its plan to have Fagan sit and learn the rest of this season, in order to hit the ground running for the 2026-27 slate. Fagan is still just 17, and the intent of her coming stateside now was to give her time to acclimate. That long-game approach is ultimately a good thing, even if USC is struggling in the frontcourt right now and could use a new face.

Olympic sports spotlight

A few days before the men’s volleyball season kicked off Saturday, USC announced a contract extension for coach Jeff Nygaard through 2028. This season marks Nygaard’s 11th as coach, and while his career record of 123-136 might not seem all that impressive on paper, competing in indoor men’s volleyball is actually more difficult than you might think at USC.

Nygaard previously only had 4 ½ scholarships to split among his team, and with the cost of attendance at USC higher than most anywhere else in college volleyball, it made for a smaller pool of players available in an otherwise talent-rich region. But the advent of revenue sharing and roster limits removed the cap on those scholarships, meaning USC can pay more of the way for men’s volleyball players if it chooses.

Of course, men’s volleyball isn’t the only Olympic sports program asking for that investment. But while USC has other major sports programs it must pour money into, other small schools are now finding themselves in a unique position of power. For a program such as Long Beach State, one that doesn’t have to support football, why not pour money into building a men’s volleyball powerhouse?

It’s more of an uphill climb in that sense for USC and Nygaard, which is part of the reason why the school offered him an extension. There’s been an effort to maintain continuity with the programs that face those similar challenges.

“It validates a number of different things we’re trying to do and how we’re doing our business,” Nygaard told me. “The continuity piece is huge for just the bedrock of the program, just to trust that they get, day after day, they don’t have to deal with massive change.”

USC was 21-7 last season and finished second in the MPSF. That was a breakthrough that Nygaard is hoping to build on. It started Saturday with a sweep of St. Thomas Aquinas.

“We’re working towards taking our good to great,” Nygaard said.

In case you missed it

Kara Dunn’s late scoring surge can’t save No. 21 USC in loss to Minnesota

Chad Baker-Mazara scores 29 points, leading USC to overtime win over Minnesota

USC quarterback Husan Longstreet announces he’s entering transfer portal

‘We were too casual.’ USC women lose big lead and fall to Oregon

What I’m watching this week

The team from “The Traitors” after winning at last year’s Emmy Awards.

(Richard Shotwell / Richard Shotwell/invision/ap)

One of the best competition reality shows on television is back on Peacock. “The Traitors” has never failed me in any season, and the first three episodes of this one have already delivered. You can always count on this show to reinvent itself, and this season adds an interesting twist to the traitor dynamic.

If you haven’t already tried “The Traitors” before, now is the time to get on board.

Until next time …

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Happy New Year, and welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter. So much has happened since we last hit your inbox. The USC-Notre Dame rivalry officially was scrapped (until 2030, at least). D’Anton Lynn took the defensive coordinator job at Penn State, his alma mater. And USC finished its season with a brutal last stand at the Alamo Bowl.

Now the most critical offseason of Lincoln Riley’s tenure with the Trojans lies ahead. The next few weeks especially could make or break the coach’s future at USC. And it all starts with hiring a new defensive coordinator.

Whoever is hired steps into a pressure cooker from the very start. The heat already has cranked up on USC’s coach. If the Trojans don’t make the College Football Playoff, Riley and his coordinator-to-be-named-later could be looking for new jobs at this time next year. And just making the playoff is going to require serious progress on a defense that must replace key players at every level and faces Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon next season.

It might be tempting, with that in mind, to try to maintain continuity, to circle the wagons and promote from within, hoping it’s enough to push USC into the playoff. This idea started taking hold as days dragged on after Lynn’s exit and fans’ panic started to pique: Maybe it was most prudent, the logic went, to promote defensive line coach Eric Henderson to coordinator.

After all, he called defensive plays in the bowl game. He’s a beloved assistant and top-notch recruiter. Not to mention that Georgia Tech, his alma mater, is interested in him for its staff.

Hiring someone else might mean not only losing Henderson in the staff shuffle, but also potentially losing key players or recruits along his defensive line. Several of those players, including five-star freshman Jahkeem Stewart, have publicly endorsed Henderson for the job.

Look, Henderson is a really good coach. And it’s great that his players think so highly of him. But now is not the time to make him — or anyone else on USC’s staff — the defensive coordinator.

That’s not a reflection on Henderson or secondary coach Doug Belk so much as it’s a reflection on the moment. Riley can’t afford for this coordinator hire, his third in five years, to fail. Not after all the resources that USC has poured into this next season being the culmination of its overhaul of the football program. To hand the defense to anyone other than a proven coach with a track record of immediate success is a risk that Riley just can’t take. Not now.

The question is whether any proven coaches are willing to take a risk with USC.

That’s not to say the right coach can’t step in next season and immediately make the Trojans a top-25 defense. Pete Kwiatkowski seemed to fit that profile. He has deep college experience, a close connection to athletic director Jennifer Cohen and a defense that just two years ago was among the top in college football. That he was let go by Texas just before USC lost its coordinator seemed like kismet.

But as of Sunday night, according to the Athletic, Kwiatkowski was trending toward becoming Stanford’s defensive coordinator.

Stanford.

Now I don’t know where Kwiatkowski stood in the pecking order of candidates for USC. Nor is USC doomed if it doesn’t hire him.

But that’s the profile of a coordinator that should get the job. A proven coach capable of getting the best out of USC’s talent and turning the Trojans into a playoff-caliber defense in the way his predecessors couldn’t.

Because if this doesn’t work, Riley won’t get the chance to hire a fourth.

Transfer portal notes, Week 1

Former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman, the most coveted player who’s not a quarterback in the portal, is scheduled to meet with USC.

(Michael Woods / Associated Press)

—Iowa State cornerback Jontez Williams became the first big-name commitment out of the portal for USC, and he’s a big get indeed. Williams started just five games last year before suffering a season-ending injury but was a standout and All-Big 12 second-team selection in 2024. Securing a No. 1 cornerback was always a top priority for USC in the portal, and the Trojans managed to find one within two days. A good start. Presumably Williams was paid to start next to Chasen Johnson or Marcelles Williams next season.

—USC is in the market for a top receiver and has a visit set up for Thursday with Cam Coleman, the most coveted portal player who’s not a quarterback. Landing Coleman, a top-five prospect in the 2024 class who played at Auburn, would be a huge coup — and Riley has shown a propensity for pulling in top transfer receivers in the past. Coleman, though, is an Alabama native and is considering Alabama, Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M too. His previous recruiting cycle revolved around SEC country. He’s also going to command a massive payday, maybe the largest for any player outside of a quarterback. USC may find it more prudent to use that money elsewhere.

—If USC can’t land Coleman, there still are plenty of viable options available. Expect USC to be aggressive in finding at least one transfer receiver to join the fray. North Carolina State wideout Terrell Anderson, who led the Wolfpack in receiving, visited USC on Sunday. Texas wideout DeAndre Moore Jr. spent time at St. John Bosco and Los Alamitos High, where he was teammates with outgoing Trojans wideout Makai Lemon.

—Linebacker remains a position of significant need, and USC managed to snag the first one that came to visit. Washington’s Deven Bryant was third on the Huskies in tackles. But while he doesn’t strike me as a difference-maker at that position, he was graded higher against the run than any of USC’s linebackers.

—Others to watch on the defensive line: Penn State end Zuriah Fisher, who visited this past weekend, and Clemson tackle Stephiylan Green.

Jaden Brownell, right, may have been the only Trojan to have a good game against Michigan.

(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

—Of the football players who have yet to be signed, three stand out: Quarterback Husan Longstreet, defensive tackle Jide Abasiri and defensive back Alex Graham. Longstreet is obvious. As a five-star passer prospect, he’d be the heir apparent after Jayden Maiava if he decides to stick around. But it’s a surprise these days if anyone does. Abasiri is an athletic marvel with a ton of unrealized potential as a pass rusher, and Graham earned a ton of praise before having his freshman season derailed by injuries. Keeping two of the three would be a coup.

—The USC men were dominated by Michigan in a 30-point loss. Now Michigan State awaits in East Lansing. That’s a brutal one-two punch coming out of the holiday break, and the Trojans didn’t look ready for the fight Friday. Michigan jumped out to an 11-0 lead, forcing six turnovers in the process, and USC never fully bounced back. No one, outside of maybe reserve forward Jaden Brownell, had anything approaching a good game. The Trojans don’t have long to bounce back, with Michigan State on tap at Breslin Center on Monday. The Spartans are coming off a tough loss at Nebraska and will have something to prove. USC will have its work cut out for it.

—The USC women don’t have the frontcourt to hang with teams like UCLA. Lindsay Gottlieb wasn’t able to lure any top-tier transfer bigs in the offseason, and while that lack of a frontcourt doesn’t always show up against lesser or smaller teams, it was an obvious issue against UCLA and Lauren Betts. I’m not sure where Gottlieb goes from here with the frontcourt if she hopes to be competitive against UCLA the next time around. Maybe Gerda Raulusaityte takes a step forward in the coming weeks before their next meeting. Maybe Kennedy Smith, at 6 feet 1, could just start at the five? (Only half-kidding.) Whatever she does, Gottlieb will be working around this problem the rest of this season.

—Everyone agrees that the college football calendar has to change. So let’s do something about it. There are still two weeks until the College Football Playoff title game. The regular season ended the last weekend of November. That’s way too long to wait even before you consider that three of the four teams that had byes — and the long layoff that comes with them — lost in this playoff. Teams with a bye are now 1-7. But the problems with the calendar go deeper than that. Eventually, when the playoff moves to 16 teams — or more — we’ll do away with conference championship week and move everything up. If you played the first round during championship week, you could be done by the latest on Jan. 8. That’s much more reasonable.

In case you missed it

USC hopes to learn from ‘embarrassing,’ most lopsided loss under coach Lindsey Gottlieb

No. 24 USC can’t keep pace with Morez Johnson Jr. and No. 2 Michigan in loss

Lincoln Riley vowed to fix the Trojans’ defense, but it faltered again in Alamo Bowl

Former USC players sound off on Lincoln Riley and Trojans after Alamo Bowl collapse

No. 16 USC suffers shocking, walk-off loss to TCU in overtime of Alamo Bowl

Meet the Hanson family, the secret to USC’s offensive line success

Lincoln Riley calls out Notre Dame for refusing to honor pledge to play USC

What I’m watching this week

Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs and Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis in “The Beast in Me.”

(Courtesy of Netflix)

Netflix has had a good year in the slow-burn, psychological thriller department, and “The Beast in Me” is another worthy entrant into that group. Claire Danes stars as an author still paralyzed by the sudden loss of her son to a car accident. When she decides to write about her new neighbor — the mysterious real estate scion Nile Jarvis, who is played by Matthew Rhys — she becomes obsessed with determining if the rumors that Jarvis killed his wife are true.

I could do without Danes’ signature lip quiver, but the always-tremendous Rhys is a creepy revelation. Certainly worth your time for a quick, eight-episode binge.

Until next time …

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Two years ago, a day after he decided to fire Alex Grinch as USC‘s defensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley made a promise to those concerned about the future of the Trojans’ defense.

“I have complete belief, conviction. We will play great defense here,” the coach said in November 2023. “It is going to happen. There’s not a reason in the world why it can’t.”

Two years later, another defensive coordinator is out the door at USC. The day after Grinch’s replacement, D’Anton Lynn, left to take the same job at Penn State, Riley stood in front of reporters, assuring everyone once again that soon enough, USC would be great on that side of the ball.

“The arrow,” he said Tuesday, “is pointing straight up.”

“The opportunity for us to make a hire, to continue to make us better and to go from being a very good defense to being a great defense is the goal.”

Yet patience on that promise is wearing thin, especially given how the season had ended less than an hour before. USC blew a 10-point lead in the final five minutes against Texas Christian on Tuesday, a team playing without its star quarterback, before missing four tackles on a third-and-20 walk-off touchdown in overtime. The disastrous Alamo Bowl defeat would serve as an especially sobering reminder that while USC made progress under Lynn, it’s still a ways from heeding Riley’s guarantee.

And now, the defense will have to start again, with a new direction, a new scheme and a new coordinator, who will be Riley’s third hire in five seasons at USC.

In spite of all that, Riley was upbeat when asked about the unit’s future Tuesday night. He felt “fantastic,” he said, about where USC’s defense was headed.

“We have the personnel,” Riley said of becoming a great defensive unit. “We’re on an upward trend. And, you know, there’s going to be a lot of interest in this job.
I mean, this will be an extremely, extremely coveted job, and I can already tell by the nature of what my phone’s been like the last couple of days.”

Several potential candidates with deep experience, as well as close ties to USC athletics officials, are expected to be available.

Former Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, who worked at Washington under current USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen, was let go by the Longhorns earlier this month. Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden, meanwhile, worked closely with USC general manager Chad Bowden at Notre Dame and could be looking for a job as soon as next week.

Both coached college defenses that ranked in the top four in the nation in points allowed during the 2024 season.

USC appeared bound for a similar trajectory after Year 1 with Lynn. The Trojans allowed 10 fewer points per game, leaping from 121st in scoring defense under Grinch to 56th in his first season at USC. They got stingier on third down — 106th nationally to 21st — and in the red zone — 119th to 69th. Lynn was even named candidate for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant.

In some respects, USC’s defense continued to take steps forward in Year 2 under Lynn. It gave up fewer points and fewer yards per game. The pass rush improved, adding 10 sacks to its season total in 2025.

But the personnel on defense was less proven this season — and more prone to mistakes. The secondary struggled through stretches. A thin group of linebackers was often overwhelmed. The defensive interior was manhandled for most of the season, and in each of their three regular-season losses, the Trojans were trampled on the ground.

Last month, when asked about the group’s inconsistency, Lynn said that USC’s youth forced him to “scale back” significantly on defense. He actually wondered, in the wake of USC’s loss to Oregon, if he shouldn’t have scaled back the defense even more this season.

“It’s different when you’re teaching an 18-year-old versus teaching a guy who has been at two to three schools who has already played a bunch of college ball,” Lynn said.

Lynn, nonetheless, leaves USC in a better place than when he arrived. The nation’s No. 1 recruiting class lands on campus next week, with plenty of highly ranked reinforcements on the way. Talented freshmen like defensive linemen Jahkeem Stewart and Floyd Boucard as well as defensive back Alex Graham are rising stars who should be ready to step into significant roles.

But USC will have to replace three starters in the secondary, including Kamari Ramsey, its best linebacker [Eric Gentry] and its top run stopper on the defensive line [Anthony Lucas]. Whomever takes over as coordinator will be expected to take a significant step forward immediately, up against one of the nation’s toughest schedules in what should be a decisive season for the program.

Then there’s the matter of Riley’s job security, which could make any available top coordinator queasy.

Yet as far as the coach is concerned, the path to finding a great coordinator and fielding a great defense isn’t that far off from what USC has now.

“I definitely don’t want to press reset,” Riley said. “I’m excited about the process, and I think it’s going to make us better, I know it will. So, we’ll wake up tomorrow morning and we’ll get on it.”