Penn State hiring USC's D'Anton Lynn as defensive coordinator in major addition for Matt Campbell

USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn has informed the school that he is leaving the program to accept the same position at Penn State for first-year coach Matt Campbell, sources told CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz. 

Lynn, who played cornerback for the Nittany Lions from 2008-2012, spent the last three seasons in Los Angeles, first as UCLA's defensive coordinator in 2023 and then at USC under Lincoln Riley in 2024 and 2025. Now Lynn will return to his alma mater as a major hire for Campbell, who is filling out his coaching staff in State College after a 10-year run leading Iowa State. 

Under Lynn, the Trojans' defense took considerable strides, going from the 121st-ranked scoring defense in FBS in 2023 to rankings of No. 56 and No. 48 under Lynn's guidance. Lynn spent nine seasons as a defensive assistant in the NFL with five different teams -- the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens -- before taking the UCLA job, and now heads back to help his alma mater try to return to the ranks of college football's elite. 

After having a top-10 scoring defense from 2021-24, Penn State slipped to 31st in 2024 in their lone season with Jim Knowles at the helm. Lynn's task will be restoring the Nittany Lions defense to the upper echelon of college football, and he represents a key hire for Campbell after Knowles departed for Tennessee. Campbell landed at Penn State after the school fired James Franklin following an ugly 3-3 start to the season. Penn State subsequently fell to 3-6 before rallying for four consecutive wins, capped off by a 22-10 victory over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. 

It is notable that Penn State was able to pry Lynn away from a fellow hopeful Big Ten contender in USC. After going a combined 15-11 in 2023 and 2024, USC enters Tuesday's Alamo Bowl matchup with TCU with a 9-3 record. Next year figures to be a pivotal one for Riley's tenure with the Trojans. The expectations are to be a College Football Playoff team, but now he'll have to spend the start of 2026 searching for a new defensive coordinator. 

Riley is considered one of the brightest offensive minds in the sport, but the Trojans were held back by a leaky defense after he brought Alex Grinch with him from Oklahoma. After firing Grinch and hiring Lynn, the Trojans began taking the necessary steps on that side of the ball to be a legitimate threat. Now Riley will have to find a new DC capable of continuing that progress.