Report: Former USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando lands new coordinator job

Todd Orlando wasn’t out of a job for long after his departure from USC. The long-time defensive coordinator is headed back to Florida to serve in the same capacity at FAU, per Bruce Feldman of FOX and The Athletic.

Orlando’s defense struggled mightily at USC this year, surrendering 31.8 points per contest. They allowed at least 35 points in five games en route to a 4-8 season.

The role will be Orlando’s seventh defensive coordinator job. In addition to USC, he has been in the role at Connecticut, FIU, Utah State, Houston and Texas. He also served as a linebackers coach at both Penn and UConn before taking over as the Huskies defensive coordinator in 2005.

Despite the recent struggles at USC, Orlando has had success at the Group of Five level. After arriving at Houston in 2015, the Cougars had the 20th-ranked scoring defense and eighth-best rushing defense in the nation. They improved those numbers in 2016, as they had the fourth-best rushing defense in the country.

Orlando played college football at Wisconsin from `1990-1993 and is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa. As an inside linebacker in his final year for the Badgers, Orlando helped Wisconsin win their first Rose Bowl in 30 years.

The 50-year-old coach is replacing Mike Stoops, who joined his brother Mark at Kentucky as the linebackers coach. Under Stoops, the Owls had the fifth-best scoring defense in a 14-team Conference USA, although they struggled compared to a very solid 2020 unit. FAU finished 5-7 in head coach Willie Taggart’s second season.

Former Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is the new defensive leader for the Trojans, coming over from Norman with new head coach Lincoln Riley. He will be tasked with revamping a Trojans defense that must get back to competence if they want to compete for a Pac-12 championship.