REPORT: Penn State football letterman emerges as candidate for UCLA opening

The college football coaching carousel continues to spin into the middle of February. While not directly involved in any of the past week’s moves, the Penn State football program still has deep ties to the recent changes, with former Nittany Lions head coach Bill O’Brien taking over at Boston College and sitting Big Ten head coach Chip Kelly filling O’Brien’s vacated coordinator role at Ohio State. Kelly’s departure from UCLA now leaves the Bruins in need of a head coach late in the cycle. The Nittany Lions may also have ties to the next Bruins coach, as according to reports this weekend, ex-Penn State standout defender D’Anton Lynn has emerged as a viable candidate to be the new head man in Westwood.

Penn State football letterman D’Anton Lynn linked to UCLA opening

The coaching market saw perhaps the wildest turn of the offseason Friday, when former Penn State football coach and current Ohio State offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was named the next Boston College head coach after just three weeks in Columbus. 

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes were quick to respond, tapping current UCLA head coach Chip Kelly to fill the vacancy just hours later. The unprecedented move to pluck a sitting head coach from the same conference to take over a coordinator role now places the Bruins in a precarious position with spring ball on the horizon. 

With UCLA reportedly wanting to make a hire quickly, the Bruins may turn to a former Nittany Lions standout as Kelly’s replacement. According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Penn State football letterman D’Anton Lynn is among the candidates to be UCLA’s next coach.

“A wild-card candidate is USC DC D’Anton Lynn, who just left to go across town to the Trojans,” writes Feldman, who was among the first to break both the O’Brien and Kelly news. “The 33-year-old former Penn State player and son of former Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn impressed a lot of people inside the Bruins program. He’s young but is mature beyond his years. Lynn coached the Bruins to the No. 1 defense in the Pac-12 in his debut season. The Bruins finished eighth nationally in yards per play allowed (4.55) and 16th in scoring defense (18.1).”

Chip Kelly is off to Ohio State. UCLA is hustling to find its new head coach. David Shaw? PJ Fleck? DeShaun Foster? D’Anton Lynn? We size up the Bruins coaching search: https://t.co/X18lmmnh9Rhttps://t.co/X18lmmnh9R

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 9, 2024

Lynn was a three-time All-Big Ten honorable mention for Penn State football. Playing under Joe Paterno from 2008 to 2011, Lynn recorded 162 tackles and four interceptions in his Nittany Lion career. He spent nine years as an assistant coach in the NFL before joining the UCLA staff as defensive coordinator last year. As Feldman notes, D’Anton Lynn moved across town to become the defensive coordinator at USC on December 1. 

Could a former Nittany Lion get his first head coaching opportunity in the Big Ten?

D’Anton Lynn may not be as much of a longshot to replace Chip Kelly as Feldman states. The Bruin Report, the 247Sports affiliate for UCLA, also put the former Nittany Lion on its coaching hotboard Friday. 

While several current and former head coaches, such as PJ Fleck and David Shaw, are among the list of candidates, Lynn would make sense for a few reasons. With much of the head coach and assistant pool already tapped this late in the cycle, UCLA could use someone to quickly come in and stabilze the program. Roster retention has to be a primary concern, with the transfer portal now reopened for Bruins players for 30 days. 

Defense was clearly not the issue for UCLA in 2023. In his only season in Westwood, D’Anton Lynn elevated the Bruins to the No. 11-ranked unit in total defense. Lynn is clearly an up-and-coming coach in the college ranks and is already familiar with the players in the UCLA locker room. Feldman reports that UCLA wants to make a decision in the next 96 hours, so this will be one to watch over the weekend. 

Penn State football welcomes UCLA to Beaver Stadium on October 5.

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