College Football: Top 15 Defensive coordinators in 2015

Oct 11, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. The Trojans defeated the Wildcats 28-26. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

When Justin Wilcox was at Boise State, his defenses surprised a lot of Power-5 opponents, and then after he moved to Tennessee and Washington, his solid defensive units were overshadowed by complete lack of offense.

But now at USC, Wilcox has the talent on both sides of the ball, and is a good compliment to head coach Steve Sarkisian. The Trojans’ defensive stats did take a bit of a dip in Wilcox’s first season, which may have some questioning his ranking on this list. But there’s no doubt that he is one of the best young defensive minds in the game today and will have USC turned around (in an offensive happy Pac-12, mind you).

Look for the Trojans’ pass defense to make some huge strides this year, and for the linebackers to get a lot of postseason award nods.

Next: Will Muschamp