When Matt Campbell was hired to be Penn State football’s next head coach in December 2025, he was tasked with replacing almost the entire coaching staff.

One of these staff changes was at defensive coordinator after Mr. three million per year, Jim Knowles, left for Tennesee. Campbell had to find someone who not only could maintain Penn State’s excellent defensive standard, but also someone who knew what it meant to be a Nittany Lion.

An extended search brought him to none other than former Penn State defensive back and USC defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn.

“He understands what it means to play at Penn State. He understands what it means to lead at Penn State,” Campbell said at Big Ten Media Days.

Lynn played under Joe Paterno, recording 162 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery from 2008 to 2011. He was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention three times.

While reunions don’t always work out, Lynn’s resume and ties to the school made him an irresistible choice to help start the Campbell era in Happy Valley.

As a coach, Lynn spent the last three years in Southern California helping struggling USC and UCLA defenses.

He took UCLA from 29 points against per game in 2022 to 18.4 in his first season the following year. He then had a similar renaissance with the Trojans, finding them at 123rd in the FBS in points allowed, and shaving off almost 10 points per game in his first season.

Lynn’s success comes in part from his player-centric approach to building his scheme.

He calls plays to bring out the best in his players and highlights their strengths rather than simply forcing them to adjust to a playbook.

“He’s been a defensive coordinator the past 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,” Campbell said.

Lynn has already made his mark in a short time as coach of the team. Players and coaches are raving about who he is as a coach and a person.

One of those quickly connecting to the defensive coordinator is team captain Tony Rojas.

“From a personal level, he’s been amazing. This is the first time I’ve had a personal connection with the a [defensive coordinator],” Rojas said. “If there’s a play call that we don’t like, we can go and talk to him about it because he’s the type of coach that is going to call the play that we’re most comfortable with.”

Lynn’s defense is not only aiming to be one that the players like, but also one that stifles Big Ten offenses.

With Campbell having a history of employing a 3-3-5 at Iowa State, many thought that a three-down defensive front would become the standard for the Nittany Lions. However, Campbell made it clear that that isn’t what fans should expect from Lynn’s defense.

“You’ll see us continue to be multiple, but it will start from a four-down front,” Campbell said.

This change from Campbell’s coaching background almost certainly stems from the more pro-style offenses found in the Big Ten, compared to the air-raid-style schemes in the Big 12.

Basing out of four-down fronts allows the Nittany Lions to match heavier personnel packages and better combat the strong run games in the Big Ten.

Coming out of a four-down front is also something that Lynn did a lot of at his other coaching stops: excelling at multiplicity in defensive looks. Penn State fans may have to adjust this fall, when the team relies more on disguised looks and pre-snap movement to fool offenses, instead of the traditional blitz packages.

With new coaches at the helm, Penn State’s defense is bound to look very different than years past. With Lynn bringing a new player-centric philosophy and culture, combined with a fresh scheme, the 2026 Nittany Lions look to be just as stout as the historic defenses that came before them.