UPDATE: WISCONSIN BADGERS has recruited Alex Grinch, to join the coaching staff as safeties coach; entrusting the former USC and Oklahoma defensive coordinator with the role of coaching safeties.

According to reports from Matt Zenitz, Wisconsin has hired Alex Grinch, a former defensive coordinator for USC and Oklahoma, to serve as the safeties coach. Colin Hitschler, who just took on a similar role at Alabama, is replaced by Grinch, who joined USC in 2022 after Lincoln Riley but was fired after less than two seasons.

Grinch has vast expertise coaching safeties and was a strong safety at Mount Union during his collegiate career. Previously, he was the defensive backs coach at Wyoming (2009–11) and New Hampshire (2005–08), where he helped players like Tashaun Gipson and Chris Prosinski become NFL possibilities. After that, Grinch was Missouri’s safeties coach from 2012 to 2014, and in 2015 he was hired by Washington State as their defensive coordinator. Later, he held co-defensive coordinator positions at Ohio State (2017-18), followed by stints at Oklahoma (2019-21) and USC (2022-23), where he oversaw Trojans defensive back Calen Bullock’s standout performance in 2022.

While Grinch’s defenses at USC initially showed promise in 2022, they faced challenges such as poor tackling, scheme confusion, misalignment, porous run defense, and explosive plays. The Trojans ended the 2023 season with a No. 121 ranking in scoring defense out of 133 FBS teams, allowing an average of 34.4 points per game—a historic low for the program.

After Grinch’s firing, USC head coach Lincoln Riley expressed disappointment, acknowledging Grinch’s coaching abilities but stating that the expected progress was not achieved. USC defenders cited issues with pre-snap positioning in Grinch’s final game against Washington, where the Trojans allowed a career-high 256 rushing yards to Dillon Johnson, including 129 yards before contact.