Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson lands former star player Sam Carter, adding a defensive architect's trusted ally to rapidly rebuild the USC defense with familiar schemes.
The USC Trojans continue to put the finishing touches on a retooled defensive staff, and the latest move further reinforces the fingerprints of legendary former TCU head football coach, Gary Patterson.
According to reports, former Louisiana Tech safeties coach Sam Carter is set to join Patterson’s first defensive staff in Los Angeles.
For Patterson, the addition is about familiarity and trust.
Carter isn’t just another assistant; he’s a former player who thrived in Patterson’s system. Carter suited up for the TCU Horned Frogs from 2010 through 2014 and became a cornerstone of the Horned Frogs’ defense.
As a senior, he earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors and was named a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist after posting 55 tackles, four interceptions, and nine pass breakups.
Over his career, Carter appeared in 49 games and made 38 starts, giving him firsthand experience in the scheme USC hopes to install quickly.
That playing background has translated into a steady rise through the coaching ranks.
Carter began his coaching career at Missouri, working as a quality control analyst from 2016 to 2019. He then moved on to Arkansas as a defensive backs assistant, followed by a season coaching cornerbacks at Ole Miss.
Stops at Purdue Boilerakers and most recently at Louisiana Tech rounded out a body of work built almost entirely around defensive back development.
At USC, Carter will join another Patterson confidant in Paul Gonzales, a longtime defensive backs coach with deep roots at TCU and Baylor.
The presence of multiple assistants fluent in Patterson’s terminology and philosophy should help accelerate the defensive transition, something critical for a program looking to make immediate strides on that side of the ball.
With Patterson assembling a staff filled with trusted voices and system experts, USC’s defensive rebuild looks like a fast-track installation, and one rooted in proven relationships and decades of experience.