Penn State is finalizing a deal with Southern California defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn for the same position, multiple media outlets reported Monday.
Lynn, 36, played cornerback for the Nittany Lions from 2008-11 and joins new head coach Matt Campbell’s staff after two seasons with the Trojans.
Campbell’s longtime defensive coordinator at Iowa State, Jon Heacock, recently announced his retirement.
Lynn coached in the NFL for nearly a decade before joining the college ranks as UCLA’s defensive coordinator in 2023. The Bruins went from 90th in defensive rating to 14th under his leadership.
At USC, he took over a defense that finished 121st in defense and finished 56th in 2024 and 48th in 2025.
He coached the safeties for the Baltimore Ravens from 2021 to 2022 and coached the secondary for the Houston Texans from 2018 to 2020. He was a defensive assistant with the Los Angeles Chargers (2017) and the Buffalo Bills (2015-16).
Former Penn State head coach James Franklin made offers to hire Lynn last offseason, but he opted to sign an extension with Southern Cal.
–Field level media
