Former Oklahoma defensive coordinator hired by Big 12 school

Former Oklahoma Sooners defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was hired to run the defense for the Central Florida Knights. Grinch will call the defense for coach Scott Frost, who returns to UCF after seven seasons away.

Of course, Grinch spent three seasons at OU under former coach Lincoln Riley from 2019 to 2021. He was Riley’s attempt to fix the defense in the wake of his firing of Mike Stoops in 2018. After Ruffin McNeill took over in the interim, Grinch was hired as the permanent DC heading into Riley’s third season at the helm.

There was much anticipation when Grinch arrived in Norman: His “Speed D” was supposed to lift the Sooners to greater success alongside record-breaking offenses. In the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Oklahoma had Heisman Trophy winners at quarterback but defenses that let them down.

In the end, Grinch could not move the needle enough on the defensive side of the ball, and OU made just one more trip to the College Football Playoff in the Riley era. When the coach bolted for USC after the 2021 regular season finale, Grinch was one of the first assistants to follow him.

It ended up being a blessing for the Sooners. They had the best defense fans had seen in years in 2024. Grinch, on the other hand, struggled at Southern Cal. He was fired by Riley midway through the 2023 season.

Now, he’ll return to a different-looking Big 12 in 2025, a conference that features a few familiar opponents from his three seasons at Oklahoma.