How D'Anton Lynn Already Has Reshaped and Revived Penn State's Defense

Though D'Anton Lynn played cornerback at Penn State, Terry Smith never coached him on the field, as their paths didn't overlap. But now that they're working together, Smith, Penn State's associate head coach and cornerbacks coach, sees why Matt Campbell made Lynn a priority hire last winter.

"There's a lot of good things about coach Lynn, but one of the best things is him being a former letterman," Smith said. "Playing on the defensive side of the ball, he knows what a Penn State defense should look like. So he's bringing that attitude, that swagger. And then he's got a sharp mind. He's extremely bright and intelligent. He's like a mad scientist trying to put it together and connect the dots."

In his first seven months as Penn State's defensive coordinator, Lynn quickly has both returned to his alma mater and taken control of the defense. Tony Rojas said he feels like abrand new linebacker this season, in part because of Lynn's approach. Even players making major shifts feel comfortable in Lynn's system.

In his seven months as Penn State's defensive coordinator, D'Anton Lynn made the word "obnixous" part of his daily vocabulary. As in "obnoxious communication," a phrase he has used often to describe his style of communicating with his players.

"He does a really good job of coaching in the moment," said linebacker Caleb Bacon, who has practiced with the defensive ends early in fall camp. "One thing that I've noticed, even moving position rooms, is, he's going to know everything as it's going on in practice. He knows where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there, so he can coach you on the field as we're going."

'The mad scientist'

Penn State defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn and special teams coordinator Justin Lustig watch football practice. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on S

Players and fellow coaches used two terms to describe Lynn, who spent the past two seasons at USC: "mad scientist" and flexible. He loves to tinker with his defense but does so by working the system around his players, not vice versa.

"You have one of the greatest minds [in college football in Lynn]," defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe said. "I call him the mad scientist. He finds ways to put someone that at one position could be a handicap, and then move them to another position and all of a sudden, he's a gold mine.

"He's really good at that part of it. What he expects from us is teaching technique and fundamentals, so that if I do decide to move him, he still fits the mold."

Bacon has been that kind of player. A four-year linebacker at Iowa State, Bacon is playing defensive end, where

"One word to describe him is 'flexibility,'" Bacon said. "He really tends to play to our strengths and ... makes calls that benefit us. He's also really open to us coming in to tell him what is or isn't working and change off there."

An ability to invest

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn talks to reporters during football media day in Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Campbell said the past seven months have reinforced the reasons he hired Lynn. He appreciates how Lynn blends his "obnoxious communication" style with patiently teaching a system that was new to most Penn State players.

"When you watch him with our players, [you see] the ability to invest in the players, not just as the teacher of the scheme, but then also as the teacher of sitting down, pulling a young man into his office, wrapping his arms around the young man, having a real relationship with our players," Campbell said. "All those things have mattered to me. That's what I thought I was hiring, and it certainly is exactly what I've witnessed over the last seven months."

Lynn is the sixth defensive coordinator with whom Smith has worked at Penn State. He's also the first who played for the Nittany Lions like he did. That matters, but so has the fact that Lynn played cornerback at Penn State and in the NFL and has coached secondaries as well.

"He's a great leader," Smith said. "He's a great, great role model. He's got tremendous work ethic. I'm super happy he's here, selfishly for me, for a couple reasons. Obviously he's a fellow letterman like myself, but even more selfishly, he's a back end [defensive] guy. And the last few times we've had a back end guy [as defensive coordinator], we've been really good on the back end. So I anticipate we're going to be really good because he understands what it's like playing on an island and playing on the back end."

Smith added that, because Lynn has taught his defense with a more deliberate approach, players have picked it up even faster. And Smith has helped with that process.

"He's been approachable in the sense that, if we're moving too fast, he's assigned me to be the voice in the room that says, 'Hey, the guys aren't getting it. Let's slow down.' So we're managing through that, but it's been great. The guys have been picking it up, and you know every team's different, and every team learns different. And this is a pretty smart team, so we seem to be able to give them a little bit more quicker."

Penn State Nittany Lions associate head coach Terry Smith smiles as he talks to a reporter during football media day. — Penn State Nittany Lions associate head coach Terry Smith smiles as he talks to a reporter during football media day in Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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