Penn State reportedly targeting USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn

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One aspect of the college football coaching carousel that does not get talked about nearly enough is assistant coach movement. When a head coach takes over at a new program, he generally likes to put together an entirely new staff, leading to numerous assistants moving schools. One of the numerous high-profile jobs to have come open within the past few months is Penn State, which recently hired Iowa State‘s Matt Campbell as its next head coach. On Wednesday night, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that the Nittany Lions are now targeting USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to serve as Campbell’s DC.

On one hand, going from USC to Penn State might feel like a lateral move. However, the Nittany Lions do have one factor working for them: Lynn played at Penn State from 2008-2011. The opportunity to return home and be the defensive coordinator at his alma mater is one that he might not be able to pass up.

On the other hand, however, it should be noted that Penn State reportedly pursued Lynn for their DC opening last year as well, but USC was able to keep him. The Nittany Lions instead hired Jim Knowles away from Ohio State. With the firing of former head coach James Franklin and the subsequent hiring of Campbell, however, Knowles was not retained, putting Penn State in the market for a defensive coordinator yet again.

While Lynn has yet to produce an elite defense at USC, he has certainly been a major upgrade from his predecessor, Alex Grinch. If Lynn were to depart, it would be a significant loss for the Trojans, as it would force head coach Lincoln Riley to go back to the drawing board at defensive coordinator fairly late in the coaching carousel.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Penn State targeting USC football’s D’Anton Lynn for DC job

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