Matt Campbell has barely settled into his new office at Penn State, and he’s already learning that legacy alone doesn’t solve modern college football problems. Penn State’s interest in USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is real, but the path to bringing him back to Happy Valley is complicated.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Penn State may not currently have the financial capacity to cover the buyout required to extract D’Anton Lynn from his contract at USC.

Lynn’s contract details aren’t fully public, but his compensation picture is clear enough to explain the hesitation. He earns roughly $2 million annually and agreed to an extension earlier this year that reportedly bumped that number closer to $2.65 million. Any move would require Penn State to negotiate directly with USC and absorb the associated exit costs, which appears challenging given the program’s current financial commitments.

Those constraints didn’t come out of nowhere. Penn State recently committed $70.5 million over eight years to secure Campbell as its next head coach, while simultaneously funding a massive $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium through the athletic department. Add in raises for multiple assistants brought over from Iowa State, and the pressure on the budget becomes clear. Still, the interest in Lynn makes sense, and losing out on him would be a major blow.

He brings extensive experience at both the college and professional levels. Before returning to college football, Lynn spent nine years as an NFL assistant coach at the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Chargers.

Even as a player, Lynn has deep Penn State roots. He played cornerback and safety for the Nittany Lions from 2006 to 2011, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention three times. He started 37 of his final 38 games, establishing himself as a reliable and versatile defender. On top of that, his football roots give Matt Campbell another reason to hire him.

His father, Anthony Lynn, serves as an assistant coach for the Washington Commanders. Even the USC head coach showed immense trust in him to take DeShaun Foster’s job at UCLA.

“I think he (Lynn) certainly can (be a head coach). I want our guys to be able to get those opportunities. We have success, and then people are going to get opportunities,” Riley said. “Whether it’s our players having a chance to move on and play in the NFL or it’s our staff members having an opportunity that jumps up and could help further their career.”

But despite all this, his time at USC is filled with uncertainty. Their defense ranks 47th in total and scoring defense, with struggles in both the run and pass game. They are 56th in allowing 24.1 points per game, with a 77th rank in surrendering 377.1 yards per game. Which can prove to be a risky gamble for Penn State right now if they at all succeed in bringing him in.

With that uncertainty, Campbell brings another former staffer onto the team.

Matt Campbell makes another major addition to his staff

Matt Campbell brought another familiar face from his Iowa State tenure. After getting offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and tight end coach Ryan Clanton as offensive line coaches, both of whom followed him from Ames. Even Noah Paulet joins him as wide receivers coach, further strengthening his offense.

With all of them in line, Jake Waters finally got in as quarterback coach. He spent six years working under Campbell at Iowa State, including the last two seasons as quarterback coach. He replaced Danny O’Brien, who left Penn State to follow former head coach James Franklin to Virginia Tech. During his time in Ames, he developed star QB Rocco Becht.

Under his guidance, Becht posted strong numbers, completing 271 of 456 passes for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions as Iowa State played for the Big 12 title. Before taking the reins as quarterback coach, Waters worked as senior quality control/offense from 2021 to 2023 and served as a graduate assistant in 2017.

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He spent three seasons coaching wide receivers at UTEP and began his coaching career as a volunteer quarterback coach at Iowa Western Community College. Now, with that level of experience, Penn State will finally get a push it’s been searching for this entire season. Let’s wait and see how things turn out under him.