USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn is the top target for the same post in Matt Campbell's new Penn State regime, several sources told FootballScoop through the weekend and into Monday morning.
A former standout-player at Penn State, Lynn has guided the USC defense to vast improvements in the past two years. After the Trojans defense in 2023 finished 121st nationally at 433 yards per game, Lynn helped carve that by 56 yards per game in 2024 and further decreased almost an additionally 30 yards in 2025 to 348.8 yards per game.
USC's scoring defense also is vastly improved under Lynn's two years of tutelage.
Campbell was hired earlier this month to take over at Penn State for the fired James Franklin. His well-regarded, long-time defensive coordinator at Iowa State, Jon Heacock, announced his retirement from college coaching just days before Christmas.
In Lynn, Campbell is targeting not only one of the sport's top young coaches but also someone with great familiarity of the Penn State program. Lynn starred at Penn State in a career that concluded with the 2011 season, the last of his three All-Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention campaigns.
The son of longtime NFL assistant coach Anthony Lynn, D'Anton Lynn has worked for five different NFL franchises -- the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texas and Baltimore Ravens -- as well as coordinated the defense for then-UCLA head coach Chip Kelly in 2023.
He was hired away from the Bruins by current USC head coach Lincoln Riley, and multiple sources told FootballScoop in recent weeks that Lynn has multiple years remaining on his contract with the Trojans, who extended Lynn and raised his pay after the 2024 season, sources shared.
Lynn has been the top target to run Campbell's Penn State defense now for more than a week, and sources indicated to FootballScoop that Penn State is both aware of Lynn's buyout to exit the USC program and also would be willing to "handle that" to secure Lynn's services as defensive coordinator.
Big Ten Conference sources told FootballScoop that Lynn has a buyout to depart USC of just more than $2.5 million dollars. Per sources, USC was not interested in negotiating down that figure.
The Trojans are preparing for their season-ending game against TCU in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. Asked about the speculation on his future with the program, Lynn said his focus remains on the day to day task of getting his Trojans defense prepped to face the Horned Frogs.