USC Trojans Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn Said This About His Scheme And Philosophy

USC Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn spoke to the media for the first time today (Tuesday). He was asked a myriad of questions from his time at UCLA and in the NFL, to how he envisions righting the ship that is an underperforming USC defense.

When asked specifically about his defensive scheme and defensive philosophy in general, Lynn had this to say.

USC Trojans Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn On Scheme And Philosophy

You know, from a schematic standpoint, you know, my thing is that it’s all about the players. You know, everything’s about the players. We wanna put them in the best position to play fast, in the best position to make plays. And, I think that looks a little bit different every year depending on how your team looks. So just really excited to get this next recruiting class and to see what this team’s gonna look like this spring and then try to see this USC team in 2024, what is the best way to put this team in the best position.

Coach Lynn

Coach Lynn went on throughout his availability to talk about how the scheme needs to be fluid based on players’ skillset but also is dependent on the offense that you are facing. Some schemes work well against some offensive deployments but will need to be tweaked in order to stop other offensive styles.

He also talked about his excitement to get into the film of all the Trojans 2024 opponents so that they can begin preparing the staff and players this Spring. He spoke on the importance of being prepared in the spring and then tweaking things during game week. You don’t want to be seeing looks for the first time during game week.

This is a breath of fresh air for USC fans who remember not that long ago Alex Grinch speaking about Utah giving them a look that they hadn’t seen before, when in reality, Utah ran the exact same play in their previous game.

When asked what he looks for in a player, Lynn said:

I mean, the biggest thing across all positions is the versatility. You know? Um, it’s hard, I think, in the way the game is played now at college and in the NFL to have guys that just do one thing. You know, you want the versatile guys up front who can align in different spots.

That way you can get into different fronts without having to sub. You know? So you need certain types of bodies on the edge. You need certain types of bodies on the inside where you can move those guys around. So if we wanna go from a 4 down front to a 5 down front, we don’t need to sub to put a bigger guy in.

We have the personnel where we can just go ahead and do that with the guys we have on the field. And then from a linebacker and secondary standpoint, you know, same thing, just versatility. Um, football instincts, guys who are just very passionate and love football.

Coach Lynn

In a season that saw players out of position, a multitude of constant substitutions, and underperforming, this is certainly a fresh take that should have USC fans excited.

Coach Lynn is currently on the recruiting trail (was in Atlanta today, and heads to Connecticut tomorrow), and will start to build out his staff on the defensive side when he returns to LA.

But it’s safe to say, at the very least, some hope has been restored for the USC Football program.