Wisconsin is expected to hire former USC and Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch as its next safeties coach, per a report.

That’s according to BadgerExtra’s Colten Bartholomew. The news has since been confirmed by multiple other outlets.

Grinch was fired as USC’s defensive coordinator midway through last season. He spent 2 years with the Trojans but ultimately fell below expectations on that side of the ball. Grinch’s departure ended a longtime partnership with Lincoln Riley, which dated back to their time at Oklahoma together.

Riley originally hired Grinch to be Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator ahead of the 2019 season. The early returns were good, as the Sooners improved defensively under Grinch from where they were during the tail end of the Mike Stoops era. Oklahoma reached the CFP in 2019 when Grinch as its defensive coordinator.

Grinch has experience as a safeties coach as well. He was the safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State for 1 season before moving to Norman. He’s also coached defensive backs at Missouri and Washington State within the last decade.

Grinch would be replacing Colin Hitschler, who left Wisconsin for a job on Kalen DeBoer’s staff at Alabama last week.

Wisconsin has not yet announced the hire.