The USC Trojans defense had a rough season. Despite having one of the best quarterbacks in college football in Caleb Williams, the defense hemorrhaged points. This led to defensive coordinator Alex Grinch being fired. It didn’t take long for the Trojans to find a replacement. They hired away D’Anton Lynn, the defensive coordinator for UCLA.
USC is hiring UCLA Defensive Coordinator D'Anton Lynn as their next DC, per @PeteThamel pic.twitter.com/ApgQrs3bv0
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 2, 2023
USC Trojans Hire D’Anton Lynn As New DC
Lynn coordinated a very good defense at UCLA. The Bruins were 16th in the nation in scoring defense allowing only 18.1 points per game. They were 11th in total defense giving up less than 300 yards per game to opposing offenses. If only the Trojans had Lynn this season. Still, this is a home run hire. Not only do they get one of the top defensive coordinators in the country, they hurt their rivals. Both of these schools are moving to the Big Ten so the rivalry will continue.
Move To The Big Ten
A big unknown for next season is the new Big Ten schedule. USC plays such a different style from most of the Big Ten that it will be interesting to how the teams match up. There are some high-powered offenses throughout the country and while having the top defense isn’t necessary, getting a couple of stops is. Lincoln Riley and USC are hoping that they can make a run to the College Football Playoff now that they are out of the Pac-12, a conference that historically has had an issue breaking into the top four.
D’Anton Lynn is a great hire for the Trojans. 2024 will be an interesting year for college football and USC will definitely be a team to watch.
