This week marks Big Ten Media Days in Chicago. On Tuesday, USC head coach Lincoln Riley took to the podium for his first press conference of the 2026 season.
In addition to Riley, head coaches from the other Big Ten schools have spoken too. In his press conference, Penn State head coach Matt Campbell discussed defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who previously served in the same role with the Trojans.
“D’Anton, I think, on two or three fronts I’d really like to talk about,” Campbell said. “The first one is D’Anton has been in the Big Ten. He’s been a defensive coordinator over the last three years in this conference, the style of play, what it takes to play great defense. You saw his impact at both UCLA and USC and the improvement that those teams were able to make.
“Number two, he’s a former player, and he understands what it means to play at Penn State. He understands what it means to lead at Penn State, and him and his family have a deep passion for the community and the success of the Penn State football program.
“I think those two values, let alone D’Anton has already proven to be a great teacher, he has put a great staff around him, and he has already come in and had a profound impact on the young men in our program, but I would say those two values were really huge for me in that process.”
After two years as USC’s defensive coordinator, Lynn departed for the same position at Penn State—his alma mater—back in December. The Trojans subsequently hired legendary former TCU head coach Gary Patterson to replace him. With USC set to visit Penn State in October, the Trojans will have the opportunity to face off against their former DC this fall.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Penn State’s Matt Campbell discusses former USC DC D’Anton Lynn
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
