USC reportedly finalizing deal with UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn in cross-rivalry move
Jack Baer/Nick Bromberg (Yahoo Sports)Â —Â USC has found its new defensive coordinator and a way to weaken their cross-town rival in the process.
The Trojans are finalizing a deal to hire UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to replace the fired Alex Grinch, according to ESPN’sPete Thamel.
Lynn saw widespread praise for the job he did at the Rose Bowl this year, improving the Bruins’ defense into the top unit in the Pac-12 by yards allowed per game. He will now be tasked with a similar turnaround, for a team that has combined a high-flying offense with a comically inept defense for two years in a row.
Grinch came to USC with Riley from Oklahoma after the 2021 season and the USC defense was abysmal during his tenure. A season ago, USC went 11-3 but lost twice to Utah and missed out on the College Football Playoff. The Trojans scored the third-most points per game of any team but allowed over 29 points a game and the defense gave up 6.5 yards per play.
Grinch returned for 2023 and Riley boasted that the defense had gotten better as the team worked the transfer portal for players who could contribute immediately. The defense actually ended up getting worse as USC stumbled to a 7-5 regular season.
The Trojans allowed 35 points per game (just eight teams allowed more) and gave up 6.2 yards per play. After forcing 2.1 turnovers a game in 2022 — a big reason why USC won 11 games — the Trojans forced just 1.2 a game this season.
Grinch was fired on Nov. 5 after a 52-42 loss to Washington that effectively ended USC’s hopes of a Pac-12 title. The Trojans then gave up 36 points in a loss to Oregon and 38 points in a season-ending loss to UCLA.
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Nebraska gave Tony White a raise today and for a few hours he was tied as the 2nd highest paid assistant coach in the Big10. D’Anton Lynn doubled his salary today, from $1 million at UCLA to $2 million at USC. Per Inside Nebraska, Lynn will become the highest paid assistant in the Big10. If Riley’s $10 million salary is true he is close to being the highest paid head coach in the Big with Ryan Day +/- $100K.
Last August somebody somewhere called Caesars in Vegas and laid 100 Bucks ( or more) ….. and got odds….. on University of Washington going undefeated and just made a nice pile of money .
This is the guy. With the schemes he knows he can take what the Ravens use, scale it back and be very successful. I hope he keeps Nua and he could make Donte a better coach even. Rumors about a big time D line coach coming. Exciting times.
Riley offered Joey Slackman, but then most all the schools in the nation have also.
Well he sure had USC figured out. If this sticks it means USC was serious about getting it done. Now to steal some of the recruits he had going to Ucla.
Lincoln Riley shows he actually is serious about having a good defense at USC Matt Zemek (Trojans Wire) — What I got tired of this year was the drumbeat from some fans who said Lincoln Riley will never, ever be serious about defense. He won’t ever win championships. To be sure, Riley still has a lot to prove. However, the idea that he would never field a good defense depended on the idea that he would never fire Alex Grinch, as though the two men were married for eternity. That marriage was going to end at some point, and it… Read more »
CBSSports.com — USC plans to double Lynn’s salary from UCLA, per The Athletic, with the Trojans set to pay Lynn $2 million annually after he earned $1 million with the Bruins this season. Lynn, 34, was in his first season on coach Chip Kelly’s UCLA staff after spending much of the past decade as an NFL assistant for various franchises, most recently the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.
Nebraska gave Tony White a raise today and for a few hours he was tied as the 2nd highest paid assistant coach in the Big10. D’Anton Lynn doubled his salary today, from $1 million at UCLA to $2 million at USC. Per Inside Nebraska, Lynn will become the highest paid assistant in the Big10. If Riley’s $10 million salary is true he is close to being the highest paid head coach in the Big with Ryan Day +/- $100K.
Great hire! Stop the run and cripple UCLA at the same time
On December 1 2023 the World bid farewell to the organization known as the Pac-12 .
We all got to see the last Pac12 game in history.
Great to see the Huskies win and going to the CFP. They were the better team tonight and were very well coached.
Bo Nix Pulls a Caleb Williams
Last August somebody somewhere called Caesars in Vegas and laid 100 Bucks ( or more) ….. and got odds….. on University of Washington going undefeated and just made a nice pile of money .
UW goes up on ORE 34-24 with just two-plus mins to go. Great game. So happy to see the Nike-Built Ducks get beat by UW for the 3rd straight time.
This is the guy. With the schemes he knows he can take what the Ravens use, scale it back and be very successful. I hope he keeps Nua and he could make Donte a better coach even. Rumors about a big time D line coach coming. Exciting times.
Riley offered Joey Slackman, but then most all the schools in the nation have also.
Well he sure had USC figured out. If this sticks it means USC was serious about getting it done. Now to steal some of the recruits he had going to Ucla.
Lincoln Riley shows he actually is serious about having a good defense at USC Matt Zemek (Trojans Wire) — What I got tired of this year was the drumbeat from some fans who said Lincoln Riley will never, ever be serious about defense. He won’t ever win championships. To be sure, Riley still has a lot to prove. However, the idea that he would never field a good defense depended on the idea that he would never fire Alex Grinch, as though the two men were married for eternity. That marriage was going to end at some point, and it… Read more »
I love that UW, my 2nd favorite team, is just brutalizing ORE 17-3 with six mins to go in the 2nd Q. Keep it up Huskies!
I’m excited for a few reasons.
Now he can sit down with Riley and explain to him how his defense kicked USC’s butt. Perhaps Riley will learn something from him.
CBSSports.com — USC plans to double Lynn’s salary from UCLA, per The Athletic, with the Trojans set to pay Lynn $2 million annually after he earned $1 million with the Bruins this season. Lynn, 34, was in his first season on coach Chip Kelly’s UCLA staff after spending much of the past decade as an NFL assistant for various franchises, most recently the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.
cbssports.com

If true about Lynn, great news! We hire a potentially great, young DC, away from FUCLA!
It doesn’t get any better.
I’ve wanted Lynn for USC’s DC since mid-season when it became obvious he had quickly and completely retooled UCLA’s often soft defense.
Love this hire by LR!