LOS ANGELES — Penn State is hiring USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn in the same capacity, a source briefed on the negotiations confirmed Monday to The Athletic.

Lynn, who was a cornerback for the Nittany Lions from 2008 to 2011, returns to Penn State and joins new coach Matt Campbell’s staff after two seasons with the Trojans. Jon Heacock, Campbell’s longtime DC at Iowa State, recently retired.

Lynn is a promising young coordinator who spent most of his coaching career in the NFL before making the move to college football three years ago.

He took over UCLA’s defense in 2023 and improved the Bruins from 90th nationally in scoring to 14th. In 2024, he took over a USC defense that ranked 121st in scoring and improved it to 56th in his first season. The Trojans finished 47th in that category this year.

James Franklin pursued Lynn for the Penn State DC vacancy last offseason, but Lynn stayed at USC and received an extension that cemented his place as one of the highest-paid coordinators in college football.

Now he returns to Happy Valley as the Nittany Lions enter a new era under Campbell.

What does this mean for Penn State?

Lynn has orchestrated two reclamation projects during his time as a college defensive coordinator. Penn State has a good track record on defense dating back many years, so the starting point with the Nittany Lions, theoretically, should be better than when he took over at UCLA and USC.

Retention of talented players and adding more quality personnel will go a long way in determining how Lynn’s first year goes.

This is obvious, but his schemes worked better at UCLA when he had an outstanding pass rush. He made things work at USC, but was limited because he didn’t have any true difference-makers on the defensive line.

So that will be worth watching for Penn State.

What does this mean for USC?

The Trojans didn’t field a top-25 defense, which their fans hoped for this season, but that wasn’t realistic because USC had too many personnel deficiencies.

Multiple things can be true: Lynn didn’t have a great season in 2025 — USC got mashed in its three biggest games (Illinois, Notre Dame and Oregon) — but the defense definitely improved during his time with the program.

But it leaves Lincoln Riley in an interesting spot. Lynn is the best DC he’s had in his time as a head coach, so it’ll be interesting to see where Riley goes with his coordinator search.

The Trojans have a major talent infusion coming next year with the No. 1 recruiting class in the country arriving on campus. But it would be unwise to rely on young players in the Big Ten.

Whoever the new DC is will have to get the most out of what’s already on the roster. USC isn’t expected to be super active in the portal.