How Pete Kwiatkowski's firing changes USC's D'Anton Lynn outlook

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

On Thursday, the University of Texas shockingly announced that it was firing defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowksi and hiring Will Muschamp to replace him.

Kwiatkowksi had been the Longhorns defensive coordinator for the last five seasons. He was a big part of Texas’s run to the College Football Playoff last season, but ultimately took the fall after the Longhorns’ defense didn’t perform up to expectations this season and missed the 2025 CFP. Defensive passing game coordinator Duane Akina was also fired.

Thinking ahead

That may seem like news that has nothing to do with USC football, but it’s actually great news for Trojan fans that could become very relevant amidst rumors that Penn State is trying to hire away D’Anton Lynn.

Let’s talk about it.

USC now has a very reputable backup plan

The idea that Penn State was trying to hire away D’Anton Lynn felt very scary when the news initially broke yesterday, because it would leave USC without a defensive coordinator at a time when most of the coaching shuffle has already happened.

The question was, who would USC even target at this point? Promoting a lower assistant from USC’s defensive staff feels unlikely. It felt like, if the Trojans were going to make a splashy hire, they would need to call someone who was out of the coaching game, like former USC coach Ed Orgeron.

Real option

No longer. USC could pivot immediately to Kwiatkowski, an immensely reputable and successful coach at all levels of college football who, by the way, led Texas to a better defensive season this year than USC had.

Important to note: when Kwiatkowski was defensive coordinator at Washington, Jen Cohen was athletic director there.

But, Kwiatkowski could also be an option for Penn State

This could also solve USC’s problem in the opposite way. Perhaps, now that Kwiatkowski is available, Penn State won’t be as passionate in its pursuit of D’Anton Lynn, because now the Nittany Lions know they have another great option who won’t need to be convinced to leave his current place of employment.

Remember, Penn State is facing the same situation that USC is at defensive coordinator: they are trying to hire one after lots of coaching moves have already taken place. At a point in time where everyone is short on options, Kwiatkowski becoming an option is something everyone, including the Nittany Lions, is monitoring.

Does Duane Akina become an option, too?

It feels unlikely that USC, Penn State, or anybody else would bring Duane Akina on as a defensive coordinator at this point. He’s mostly been a defensive position coach throughout his career and at age 69, he isn’t getting any younger.

But, he was Arizona’s defensive coordinator as recently as the 2024 season, so it’s not impossible. Akina was swapped out with Danny Gonzales before he ultimately decided to leave for Texas following the demotion, so he could have a bad taste in his mouth or a damaged reputation after that experience.

If a school believes in Akina, however, I don’t know why he wouldn’t give a DC role a shot again.

Maybe Muschamp is the blueprint

It’s not just Kwaitkowski’s availability that is good news for USC. Muschamp’s return to Texas hints at a larger truth, too.

Muschamp stepped away from coaching in 2025 to spend more time with his family. But, that clearly didn’t mean his career was over. It’s almost always possible to lure college football coaches, some of the most competitive people on Earth, back into the game.

If Lynn leaves and Kwiatkowski is not an option, USC could look to lure some guys out of retirement or near-retirement. Coach O? Kyle Whittingham? Everybody is an option.

Washington — the potential wild card

There’s another school that could get involved in the Kwiatkowski sweepstakes that would cause even more chaos: Washington.

Kwiatkowski coached at Washington from 2014-2020 and had a lot of success with the Huskies. What if Jedd Fisch decides that bringing him home would be best for the program?

Ryan Walters

If Lynn did also go to Penn State, would USC then pounce on fired/demoted Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters?

If any coach with Washington ties is a fit for USC, it’s probably Jimmy Lake, who is currently a senior defensive assistant for the Los Angeles Rams. But Washington’s defense was better than USC’s in 2025, top 20 in the country, so there’s reason to give Walters a look despite his previous struggles at Purdue’s head coach.

Regardless of what happens, having a person of Kwiatkowski’s caliber on the market this late in the offseason will certainly shake up the college football landscape, and is worth monitoring for USC fans.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski fired by Texas as USC looks on

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos