Lincoln Riley addresses future of defensive staff after D'Anton Lynn hire

With the USC Trojans bringing on a new defensive coordinator in former UCLA DC D’Anton Lynn, head coach Lincoln Riley has a few more tough decisions ahead of him on how to fill out the rest of his defensive coaching staff. His options are simple yet difficult: retain the staff he currently has or retool the defensive cupboard.

On Monday, during a press conference call following USC’s selection to the Holiday Bowl, Riley addressed that topic, revealing that all options are on the table.

“I think some of that will play out,” said Riley. “We’ve certainly had conversations about the staff, both you know, the current guys that we have… and then also, what are the needs of this current staff with coach Lynn in charge defensively, and you know what could that potentially look like.

“There’s one goal in mind here — building the best defensive staff in America here. For me, I’m not getting too caught up into, is it somebody that’s here now? Is it somebody that’s not here now? It’s just, to me, what is the best and answering that simple question. And wherever the best is, whether it’s somebody here or somebody outside the program, that’s what we’re going to do; that’s what we’re going to build. But I don’t have anything new to report other than that is our sole mission, and that’s what we’re gonna stay focused on, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”

Riley’s objective this offseason is simple: assemble the best defensive coaching staff he possibly can. And whether the candidates are currently at USC or employed elsewhere, the Trojans head coach, along with Lynn, will not stop until the Trojans have assembled an elite level of talent throughout the defensive coaching staff.

Riley explains choice of D’Anton Lynn as defensive coordinator

After parting ways with former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch following USC‘s Week 10 loss to the Washington Huskies, it didn’t take long for the Trojans to find their new DC in D’Anton Lynn. USC announced on Saturday, Dec. 1, the hiring of Lynn, successfully swiping him from crosstown rival UCLA.

The hire is significant for several different reasons. But which ones stick out the most to USC head coach Lincoln Riley? And what made him believe Lynn was the right man to take over the reins of his Trojans defense? Riley explained all of that on Monday during a conference call following USC’s selection to the holiday bowl.

“What stood out to me from the first conversation that we had, just his vision for obviously the job they’ve done at UCLA, his vision for what this could be here,” said Riley. “And I think you’re looking for people that are going to come in and make us better and add to us day one by walking in the door, which he checked that box.

“But also, people that have a shared vision of USC — what this program means, what it can be, [and] what it needs to continue to climb. We were just very, very in sync that way from the beginning. It was tough to ignore just his pedigree, [and] the NFL experience.”

Lynn, who is 34 years old, spent the 2023 season as the defensive coordinator at UCLA. The NFL experience Riley is referring to is the nearly 10 years he spent as an assistant coach for several NFL franchises, including teams known for their defense, such as the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.