Penn State targets D'Anton Lynn to fill defensive coordinator role

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Could Penn State be on the verge to bring a notable letterman back to the program to fill a key role on the coaching staff? According to one report, that is the hope.

Penn State has a vacancy at the defensive coordinator position on the coaching staff under new head coach Matt Campbell. Jim Knowles has left the program to join Tennessee and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter will take on the defensive coordinator role for the Pinstripe Bowl, while his fate with the staff remains uncertain. Campbell did bring his Iowa State defensive coordinator, Jon Heacock, with him to Happy Valley but his specific role has yet to be defined. Now, it appears there is another target for the role on Campbell’s staff; former Penn State standout and current USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.

According to a report from Matt Zenitz, via social media, Lynn is the top target for Penn State as the work to fill out the staff continues. Lynn would seem to be a nice addition to a staff that appears focused on retaining some other key lettermen on the staff, including Deion Barnes, Dan Connor, Trace McSorley, and Terry Smith. Lynn is also a rising coordinator whom I had as a potential coaching candidate for Penn State on my evolving hot board throughout Penn State’s coaching search.

Lynn was a four-star cornerback who played at Penn State from 2008 through 2011. He was a starter for the team in 2009 and remained a key fixture in the secondary for the remainder of his time in Happy Valley. After a couple of years in the pros between the NFL and the CFL, Lynn jumped into coaching in 2014. He started his coaching career with the Jets as a seasonal intern and joined the Buffalo Bills as a defensive assistant in 2015. After stops with the Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, and the Baltimore Ravens, Lynn returned to college to be the defensive coordinator for UCLA in 2023. After one year wiht the Bruins, Lynn moved across town to USC, where he has been the defensive coordinator for the past two seasons.

We will obviously be keeping a close eye on this development as it continues. Penn State will be facing Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27, and Lynn and the USC Trojans will face TCU in the Alamo Bowl a few days later on Tuesday, Dec. 30.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: D’Anton Lynn a leading candidate for Penn State defensive coordinator?

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