Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
5 8 A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 6 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / D efensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn is, technically, a newcomer to Penn State this year, part of the program-wide rebuilding effort that brought a dozen new coaches and a tidal wave of transfers to State College since last December. But Lynn is by no means an unfamil- iar face. He was a three-time honorable mention All-Big Ten cornerback dur- ing his playing career at Penn State from 2009-12, and his arrival after two sea- sons overseeing USC's defense and a year at UCLA brought cheers from Nittany Lion supporters. Lynn is tasked with improving a unit that tied for 31st nationally in scoring defense last year, allowing 20.54 points per game in its lone season under Jim Knowles. To help with that effort, the Li- ons signed 18 defensive transfers. Ten of those newcomers played for Matt Camp- bell at Iowa State, including a quartet of linebackers — seniors Caleb Bacon, Kooper Ebel and John Klosterman, and junior Cael Brezina. Lynn recently spoke to BWI about his return to Penn State and the progress he's seen from his defense as it prepares for the 2026 campaign. BWI You're coming up on your fourth year as a defensive coordinator in the Big Ten. From your perspective, having played here previously and now coming back as DC, are the characteristics and personality of the league the same, or have there been changes since you were here last time? LYNN I would say the core of the Big Ten is still the same. When you look at the offensive lines and tight ends, it's still a big, physical conference. Every team has SCHOOL SPIRIT SCHOOL SPIRIT D'Anton Lynn makes a welcome return to oversee the defense at his alma mater T H O M A S F R A N K CA R R | T F R A N K . C A R R @ O N 3 . C O M Lynn joined Matt Campbell's staff in January after spending the past two seasons at USC. Last year, he helped the Trojans rank second in the Big Ten in third-down conversion defense (33.5 percent). PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS