The USC football team is looking to bounce back from what was a disappointing campaign this year. The preparation for the 2024 season is underway for the Trojans, and it's a big one for Lincoln Riley. It will be the third season of the Riley era at USC, and he unfortunately just lost a staff member to the North Texas football team.

Brian Odom coached inside linebackers and was an associate head coach for USC football last year, but he will not be back with the Trojans in 2024. He is leaving to be the new linebackers coach for North Texas football. The Mean Green don't have as prestigious of a program as USC, but Odom is taking the job nonetheless.

Before Brian Odom was with USC, he coached linebackers at Oklahoma and Missouri. He was a running back in college and played for the Sooners. Now, the next step in his career will be with North Texas, and the Mean Green need to improve on defense under defensive coordinator Matt Caponi.

“We know we have to get better,” North Texas head coach Eric Morris said of the defense and Caproni, according to an article from the Denton Record-Chronicle. “That’s not a secret. He knows that. He’s the most competitive person in the world. He spends countless hours up here. There are a bunch of areas we need to get better on this team.”

As for USC football, the pressure is on. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans looked good in year one of the Riley era, but last year's 7-5 season can't happen. USC needs to have a big offseason in terms of hires and the transfer portal, especially on defense for both. The defense has been the source of all the problems that they have had the past two seasons. If they are going to get better next year, it starts with that.