USC's Lincoln Riley Weighs Penn State's Pursuit of D'Anton Lynn

Penn State reportedly is pursuing USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn for the second consecutive year, this time with a new head coach. In Los Angeles, Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley acknowledged that he's going through the process again of potentially losing Lynn to his alma mater.

"Those things are what they are," Riley told reporters as the Trojans prepare to play TCU in the Alamo Bowl. "Everybody prizes different things. That's why I don't judge that. I get it. But again, last year Penn State hired the defensive coordinator from the team that won the national championship. These things happen. Obviously D'Anton's done a really good job here, and we'll see how it plays out."

Defensive coordinator remains the highest-profile opening on Matt Campbell's 2026 Penn State coaching staff, which has most of its offensive coaches in place. But Campbell still looks to replace Jim Knowles, who left Penn State after one season for Tennessee. Campbell reportedly has made Lynn, a Penn State letterman and USC's second-year coordinator, a priority in his search.

Lynn quickly established himself as one of the top college defensive coaches after transforming UCLA's defense in one season as coordinator in 2023. The Bruins ranked 14th nationally in scoring defense with Lynn in 2023 after ranking 90th the year before.

Lynn led another overhaul at USC. In 2023, the Trojans ranked 12st nationally in scoring defense (34.4 ppg) and 119th in total defense (43.2 ypg). Under Lynn in 2024, USC cut opponents' scoring by about 30 percent this season, allowing 22.4 points per game and improving to 47th nationally.

Lynn also led upgrades in defensive stats such as third-down conversion rate, rushing yards allowed and explosive plays allowed. In 2023, USC allowed 71 plays of 20+ yards. That number was 40 this season.

"This is just what happens this time of year, especially when you have a really good staff and are doing a lot of really positive things," Riley told reporters in Los Angeles. "This is part of what happens, so we’ve seen it, we understand it. We’ll obviously see how it plays out.

"We put ourselves in position here where we’re obviously excited about the opportunity to keep continuity and continue to build, but we’re also honestly at that point where, not just that position, any position, that if there is turnover, these are really coveted jobs."

Prior to landing in Los Angeles, Lynn spent nine seasons in the NFL coaching secondaries in Baltimore and Houston and also working with the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. Former Penn State coach James Franklin looked toward Lynn, a three-time All-Big Ten cornerback at Penn State, earlier this year after Tom Allen left for Clemson.