After two years of boosting USC’s defense, DC D’Anton Lynn is leaving for his alma mater, Penn State. Lynn’s decision ahead of the Alamo Bowl and transfer portal sent shock waves in the locker room. But Jakheem Stewart, whom Lynn recruited as the No. 1 prospect at USC, had something to say to him as he bid adieu.

“Thank you @dantonlynn for everything you’ve taught me over this last year and having confidence in me to execute,” wrote Jakheem Stewart on X. “You will be missed. The bright side is that we already have our defensive leader. Time to ride old man @Coach_Henny.”

D’Anton Lynn and co-DC Eric Henderson played a big role in recruiting and developing the five-star DL Jakheem Stewart to USC. Under Lynn, Stewart played 11 games after suffering a leg injury in the off-season. 

“He’s very eager, and we can’t wait for him to get out there,” said Lynn, when doubts arose about Stewart when he returned from an undisclosed injury, while there was plenty of competition for playing time.

Losing Lynn is indeed a big blow to the Trojans. Since taking over the defensive coordinator role in 2024, USC’s defense has had tremendous growth in its physicality and performance. When Lynn came to USC, the Trojans’ defense allowed 34.5 points per game and was ranked in the bottom 30 nationally, including 120th in rushing defense and 107th in passing defense. Lynn made an immediate impact in the program’s defense.

In his first season as DC, USC allowed only 24.1 points per game and improved to the 56th-ranked defense nationally. In almost every area of defense, they had a significant improvement. 

Although USC faced ups and downs this season, finishing 9-3, the defense stood out, allowing 22.4 points per game, ranking 47th nationally. Though Lynn’s tenure at USC comes to an end with just two seasons, he’ll be leaving the program in a much better situation defensively than when he took over the role.

D’Anton Lynn will be staying with USC until the Trojans face TCU on Tuesday night, December 30, in the Alamo Bowl, before joining Matt Campbell’s staff at Penn State.

D’Anton Lynn to replace Jim Knowles as Penn State DC

According to On3’s Pete Nakos’s report on Monday, December 29th, D’Anton Lynn has accepted the Penn State offer. Mark Zenitz of CBS Sports revealed that Lynn told USC about his departure, and the buyout has been in process since Monday morning.

Lynn’s move to Penn State was a long time coming. Last January, Lynn was allowed to trade in his DC role with the Trojans for the same role at Penn State. But the DC turned down the offer and remained focused on developing the USC defense. However, he accepted the role a year later, replacing the $9 million DC Jim Knowles, who was not retained in the new staff.

He will be leading his alma mater, which ranked top-10 in the scoring defense from 2021 to 2024 and slipped to the 31st rank last season. Lynn is expected to restore the Nittany Lions’ defense to the upper echelon and make it a Big Ten contender, just like what he did at USC.

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Lynn’s hiring marks the fourth new defensive coordinator for Penn State since 2022, following Manny Diaz (2022-23), Tom Allen (2024), and Jim Knowles (2025). He is the first non-Iowa State hire Campbell has made on his on-field coaching staff.