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Penn State's Search for a Defensive Coordinator Continues After Key Retirement

Jon Heacock, who was Matt Campbell's defensive coordinator for 10 seasons at Iowa State, announces his retirement.
Mark Wogenrich|
Matt Campbell is announced as the Penn State Nittany Lions new head coach during a press conference at Beaver Stadium.
Matt Campbell is announced as the Penn State Nittany Lions new head coach during a press conference at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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Penn State football coach Matt Campbell continues to deliberate over his final staff hires, including the defensive coordinator. However, we know Campbell won't be bringing a veteran assistant from Iowa State to State College to lead his defense.

Jon Heacock, who was Campbell's defensive coordinator at Iowa State for 10 years, announced his retirement Tuesday. Heacock spent 43 years in football, which included nine seasons as a head coach and 12 working alongside Campell at Toledo and Iowa State.

"I'm so thankful, grateful, and blessed to have worked alongside some of the finest players, support staff members, and coaches in America!" Heacock wrote in a social media post. "I'm certainly thankful and grateful that God chose me to be the defensive coordinator at Iowa State University for 10 years. Ames, Iowa State, the team, and Cyclone Nation: Man, we all did some special stuff together. Thanks to you all!"

Heacock had been considered a candidate to join Campbell's new Penn State staff in some capacity. The two had worked together since 2014, when Heacock joined Campbell's Toledo staff as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. Heacock followed Campbell to Iowa State, where he served as defensive coordinator since 2016.

Heacock began his coaching career in 1983 as a graduate assistant and served as the Youngstown State head coach from 2001-09. He returned to his roots as a defensive assistant in 2010 at Kent State and spent the 2013 at Purdue before joining Campbell's Toledo staff in 2014.

Meanwhile, Campbell continues the process of naming his defensive coordinator at Penn State. One coach to emerge in the process is D'Anton Lynn, the Penn State letterman who has been USC's defensive coordinator the past two seasons.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley recently said that he hopes to retain Lynn, whom he hired from UCLA in 2024.

"Those things are what they are," Riley told reporters in Los Angeles as the Trojans prepare to play TCU in the Alamo Bowl. "Everybody prizes different things. That's why I don't judge that. I get it. But again, last year Penn State hired the defensive coordinator from the team that won the national championship. These things happen. Obviously D'Anton's done a really good job here, and we'll see how it plays out."

Campbell is hiring a defensive coordinator to replace Jim Knowles, who spent one uneven season at Penn State after helping Ohio State win the 2024 national championship. Knowles recently accepted the defensive coordinator position at Tennessee.

Penn State also has an in-house candidate in Anthony Poindexter, who will serve as the interim defensive coordinator for the Pinstripe Bowl. Poindexter has spent the past five seasons at Penn State as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.

Campbell has recruiting four offensive coaches from his Iowa State staff to Penn State, including offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser. Secondary coach Deon Broomfield is the only member of the defensive staff to be announced, though Penn State is expected to retain current assistants Deion Barnes (defensive line) and Dan Connor (linebackers).

In addition to defensive coordinator, Campbell has yet to announce a special teams coordinator or running backs coach.

Penn State plays Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27 at Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on ABC.

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Iowa State Cyclones defensive coordinator Jon Heacock talks to players during a timeout in the fourth quarter of a game.
Iowa State Cyclones defensive coordinator Jon Heacock talks to players during a timeout in the fourth quarter of a game at Jack Trice Stadium. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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