Reports: Penn State hiring USC DC D'Anton Lynn

Field Level Media|published: Mon 29th December, 13:57 2025

NCAA Football: Utah State at Southern California

Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn reacts against the Utah State Aggies during the fourth quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Penn State is finalizing a deal with Southern California defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn for the same position, multiple outlets reported Monday.

Lynn, 36, played cornerback for the Nittany Lions from 2008-11 and is joining 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 moving to the college ranks as the UCLA defensive coordinator in 2023. The Bruins improved from 90th in scoring defense to 14th under his watch.

At USC, he took over a defense that finished 121st in scoring defense and finished 56th in 2024 and 48th in 2025.

He coached the safeties for the Baltimore Ravens from 2021-22 and coached the secondary of the Houston Texans from 2018-20. He was a defensive assistant with the Los Angeles Chargers (2017) and Buffalo Bills (2015-16).

Former Penn State head coach James Franklin made overtures to hire Lynn last offseason but he opted to sign an extension with Southern Cal.

--Field Level Media