Lincoln Riley Keeps USC Defensive Line Intact After NFL Coaching Shuffle

After a 9-4 season in 2025, Lincoln Riley has a lot of things to do this offseason. The Trojans’ crazy travel schedule for 2026 poses a major hurdle, while Riley works to retain his coaching staff to prevent key personnel losses.

Lincoln Riley’s USC Defense Escapes NFL Poaching

On Saturday, ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that USC defensive line coach Eric Henderson would interview with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Losing Henderson would have been a significant blow for the Trojans, but Riley can relax for now, as the Cowboys hired Marcus Dixon as their defensive line coach on Monday.

Henderson has been part of Riley’s staff since 2024 and quickly made an impact with his “DAWGWORK” philosophy, highlighting toughness and effort. The approach paid off, as USC’s defensive line allowed just 24.1 points per game in 2024, ranking No. 21 nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten for third-down conversion percentage defense (0.335).

Henderson has been a phenomenal recruiter at USC, as he signed the No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2025 class, five-star Jahkeem Stewart. He also leveraged his southern recruiting connections to bring in two SEC transfers: Keeshawn Silver from Kentucky and Jamaal Jarrett from Georgia.

Henderson spent time with the Los Angeles Rams as defensive line coach and run game coordinator before his USC career. In his first season in Los Angeles in 2019, the Rams allowed just 3.74 yards per rush (sixth-best in the league) and recorded 50 sacks (fourth-most), while the team ranked No. 8 in run defense under his guidance in 2023.

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Before the Rams, Henderson coached the defensive line for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2019-2020. In his first year with the Chargers in 2017, the team finished fifth in the NFL with 43.0 sacks.

Henderson was the defensive line coach at the University of Texas-San Antonio during the 2016 season. Before that, he spent three seasons at Oklahoma State from 2013-15 and was regarded as one of the Cowboys’ top recruiters during his tenure.

Henderson began his coaching career in 2012 as a defensive assistant at Georgia Military College, working with linebackers and the secondary. As a player, he was a three-time All-ACC defensive end at Georgia Tech (2003-2005) and spent three years in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals (2006-2008) after signing as an undrafted free agent.

With Henderson staying at USC, Riley now faces decisions about which 2025 assistant coaches to retain around defensive coordinator Gary Patterson and which to part ways with. The Trojans finished the 2025 season ranked No. 61 nationally in the PFSN College Football Defense Impact Metric with a score of 76.3.