Alex Grinch emerges as expected hire in UCF defensive coordinator search

Former USC and Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is the expected hire as the new UCF DC under Scott Frost, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

“Sources: Wisconsin assistant Alex Grinch has emerged as the expected hire for UCF’s defensive coordinator job,” Thamel wrote on Twitter. “Grinch is a veteran DC with time at USC, Oklahoma and Washington State.”

Grinch spent the 2024 season as the co-defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, under Luke Fickell. He was dismissed from USC in November of 2023.

The former Washington State defensive coordinator and Ohio State assistant led a defensive unit at USC that allowed 34.5 points per game this season while ranking in the bottom 30 in the nation in nearly every category. The Trojans’ rush defense struggled ranked 120th while the pass defense was 107.

In Grinch’s first stint with Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, the Sooners’ defense ranked No. 24 in the nation in rush defense in 2021, showing solid improvement. Oklahoma was third in sacks and ninth in rush defense while just allowing 21.7 points per game in 2020.

Grinch has also made coaching stops at Missouri, New Hampshire and Wyoming. He played safety in college for Mount Union.

It’s back to the future for UCF under Frost as the head coach returns. He’s expected to add Grinch to the staff to prepare for the 2025 season now.

During his first stint at UCF from 2016-17, Frost totaled a 19-7 record over two seasons, including a 12-4 mark in American Athletic Conference play. Now, he’s preparing to return to Orlando and replace Gus Malzahn, who’s taking over as the offensive coordinator at Florida State.

Frost’s tenure at UCF included a 2017 season for the ages. The Knights went 13-0 to seal a Peach Bowl appearance, which ended with a victory over Auburn. After that, he headed to Nebraska – his alma mater – and his tenure didn’t go as well. The Cornhuskers went 16-31 under Frost’s watch and made the decision to part ways in the middle of the 2022 season.