IMHO Sunday: Could Riley’s ultimate DC decision be a program changer one way or the other?

In my humble opinion, cardinal and gold thoughts on what I see, what I hear, and what I think from Los Angeles: The decision-maker: For USC head football coach Lincoln Riley, despite a 2022 season that saw the Trojans program revived with a 11-3 record, the head coach is caught in his first really big crossroads decision: After an horrendous ending to the season where the USC defense was eviscerated by the offenses of Utah and Tulane and was basically a bit player throughout 2022 while the Trojans’ offense was winning games by scoring 41 points per game, Mr. Lincoln now has to make a critical decision on what to do with his defense, which has become a national and local focal point of scrutiny. The decision-maker - Part 2: With the defensive recruiting world, massive college football media universe, and the USC fan base shining a blinding spotlight squarely on the shoulders of Lincoln Riley and his defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, does Riley roll the dice and hope things just turn around naturally or does he find a new defensive coordinator whom he believes can take the USC defense to the next level in 2023, relieve the perception of defensive leadership incompetence, and reassure defensive recruits that defense matters?