Tag: D’Anton Lynn

Ravens hire new defensive coordinator, ending D’Anton Lynn speculation

The Ravens made their choice, and it’s not D’Anton Lynn. Everyone at USC can breathe more easily.

The threat has been extinguished. Any possible remaining risk that D’Anton Lynn would leave USC to become defensive coordinator at his former employer, the Baltimore Ravens, has been eliminated.

Ravens Wire has the breaking news on Thursday. Baltimore is promoting Zachary Orr to its defensive coordinator spot after Mike Macdonald left the franchise to take the open head coaching position with the Seattle Seahawks.

“The Ravens quickly replaced Mike Macdonald as defensive coordinator, promoting inside linebackers coach Zachary Orr,” Ravens Wire wrote.

“Orr, who played for the Ravens from 2014-2016, is a fast-rising star in the coaching ranks. He recently interviewed for the Packers defensive coordinator position.

“The 31-year-old Orr has been on the Ravens staff since 2017 save for one season with the Jaguars and Urban Meyer in 2021.”

D’Anton Lynn had worked with the Ravens prior to joining UCLA as defensive coordinator for the 2023 college football season. USC poached Lynn from UCLA in the midst of turmoil surrounding the Bruin football program.

Everyone at USC can rest easy now. It was never likely that Lynn would go to Baltimore, but if Mike Macdonald did leave — which he did — the door was cracked open. Now that door has been firmly closed. It will be exciting to see Lynn do his thing at USC, part of an all-star defensive coaching staff.

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USC fans are watching how the Seahawks will replace Pete Carroll

The Seahawks are interviewing multiple candidates. One of them is Mike Macdonald of the Ravens. Pay attention.

The Baltimore Ravens have been knocked out of the NFL playoffs. Baltimore lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. This frees up Mike Macdonald, the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, to pursue additional interviews with NFL teams this week. Seahawks Wire has more on Seattle’s plans for the week, as the team tries to replace Pete Carroll as head coach:

“According to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, Seattle will be interviewing Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson later today in Detroit and then Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald tomorrow.

“The Seahawks have also interviewed several other coordinators around the league for their head coach vacancy. That list includes Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. The team has also been reported to be interested in former Titans coach Mike Vrabel.”

It is not likely that D’Anton Lynn would leave USC to become the Ravens’ defensive coordinator if Macdonald gets a head coaching job. However, it’s certainly possible. Notable is that Jim Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator at Michigan, Jesse Minter, is following Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers. He is out of play for the Ravens. Follow Seahawks Wire and Ravens Wire for more coverage of Mike Macdonald, whose decision could affect the coaching carousel in a number of ways.

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D’Anton Lynn, Eric Henderson will bring a holistic approach to USC defense

D’Anton Lynn and Eric Henderson can solve problems at all levels of the USC defense.

D’Anton Lynn played as a defensive back at Penn State and in the pro ranks. Eric Henderson has been a defensive line developer. As the two men prepare to be co-defensive coordinators at USC, how are they going to work together, and how will they approach handling the Trojans’ defense in the Big Ten?

Luca Evans of the Orange County Register tried to explore these questions in a story which involved insights from former coaching colleagues of the two men:

“It’s a natural pairing: Lynn the analyst, Henderson the motivator. And both were prepared for this, too, by those shared meeting rooms back in 2017, where Bradley would mandate his entire defensive staff game-planned together – no separation between the front and secondary. Henderson is more than a defensive-line coach, Bradley said; he understands the back end. And Lynn, who has specialized in coaching secondaries throughout his NFL tenure before his year at UCLA, has come into USC with a clear vision for molding the Trojans up front.

“’I think they’re very much on the same page with that,’ Giff Smith said. ‘I mean, D’Anton did a great job with the outside edge rushers at UCLA and creating pressure on the quarterback, and being creative on his different simulated pressures that he brought, and Eric did that under Raheem (Morris) a bunch too. So I just really think it’s an easy fit.’”

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There’s a ‘natural connection’ between USC colleagues D’Anton Lynn and Eric Henderson

Former colleagues see plenty of compatibility between D’Anton Lynn and Eric Henderson as they arrive at USC.

Eric Henderson and D’Anton Lynn are on the same defensive coaching staff at USC. How are they expected to work together? Luca Evans of the Orange County Register asked former colleagues of both men from the 2017 Los Angeles Charger coaching staff.

“Anthony Lynn knew D’Anton and Henderson were more than coworkers, he said, when his son invited Henderson to his wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

“Still, it didn’t seem as though the young Lynn and Henderson were exactly the best of friends. They had separate, specific focuses on that staff: Henderson working on the defensive line under (Giff) Smith, Lynn working more closely with linebackers coach Richard Smith (now working under Bradley with the Colts) as a quality control assistant. They were more close colleagues, perhaps, with a deep respect.

“’You could just tell, there’s a natural connection and a natural trust between the two,’ Giff Smith said. ‘And you always felt like they would wind up on a staff together some way. I’m not claiming I would say I knew they were gonna be co-defensive coordinators together at USC, but I think we always thought they would be on a staff.’”

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NFL defensive coordinator thinks D’Anton Lynn, Eric Henderson will work well together at USC

Eric Henderson and D’Anton Lynn worked together on the 2017 Chargers’ coaching staff. The reviews are positive.

Did you know that USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and new Trojan defensive line coach Eric Henderson worked on the same coaching staff before?

Luca Evans of the Orange County Register talked to other members of the 2017 Los Angeles Charger coaching staff, which Lynn and Henderson were both part of. Anthony Lynn, D’Anton’s father, was the head coach.

Gus Bradley, now the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts, was the defensive coordinator for that Charger team.

Evans explained the nature of the relationship between D’Anton Lynn and Eric Henderson, with Bradley offering his endorsement of this pairing at USC:

“The Southern California News Group spoke with members of the 2017 Chargers’ staff – the lone year in which the two overlapped – for a picture of how Lynn and Henderson will work in tandem at USC. All remember the two as bright, inventive minds who routinely were trusted with more responsibility than their job titles entailed. And the key point: their philosophies and coaching strengths have always been complementing, not contrasting, two men with strong personalities who will challenge each other but do so without job-title conceit.

“’There is no ego with Eric Henderson,’ Bradley, now the Colts’ defensive coordinator, told the SCNG. ‘And there’s no ego with D’Anton Lynn. So will it work? There’s not a doubt in my mind it will work.’”

USC fans couldn’t ask for a better evaluation of these two new defensive coaches.

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USC football’s ‘triple stack’ coaching advantage heading into 2024

The Trojans’ coaching improvement heading into 2024 can be seen and felt on three levels.

The USC Trojans have a triple-stack dynamic which works in their favor heading into spring ball and the 2024 offseason.

USC’s first leg of the triple stack is the dismissal of coaches who were holding back the defense: Alex Grinch first, Donte Williams second, and Roy Manning third. Not having coaches from the Oklahoma tree is a cleansing moment for the program and a case of addition by subtraction.

The second part of the triple stack is Taylor Mays. He coached the secondary so expertly in the Holiday Bowl — getting dramatic improvement out of a lot of guys who struggled under Grinch and Williams — that his retention on staff, if secured, makes USC a lot better in 2024.

The third part of the triple stack is the D’Anton Lynn, Matt Entz, and Doug Belk trio. Unlike Taylor Mays, they didn’t coach in the Holiday Bowl, but they all bring impressive credentials to USC. They will build upon what Mays started in the Holiday Bowl, developing USC players at all position groups on defense.

Addition by subtraction. Taylor Mays. The new incoming coaches. This is the triple-stack formula which will make USC’s defense exponentially better in 2024. We talked about this and a lot more at The Voice of College Football:

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Lincoln Riley has an insurance policy if a USC defensive coach goes to the NFL

Lincoln Riley planned ahead and has great options available if D’Anton Lynn makes an unexpected move.

The Baltimore Ravens have a defensive coordinator, Mike Macdonald, who could soon become an NFL head coach. Macdonald is in demand after guiding the Ravens to the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

If Macdonald leaves for an NFL head coaching job, USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn — who worked for the Ravens a few years ago — could become a prime candidate in Baltimore.

Ravens Wire gathered a recent comment from Macdonald, who was asked by the press about NFL head coaching jobs:

“It’s hard to ignore,” Macdonald said. “It’s an honor to hear about it. It’s such a unique opportunity when it does come up. For guys that know me, I’m a one-track guy. It’s very difficult for me to kind do two things at once. So, try your best to focus on the things that we need to focus on, which is the next game and getting our guys in position to win. I thought you guys would probably ask about this at some point, but I think it’s an opportunity to talk about.”

If Macdonald leaves for the NFL and D’Anton Lynn leaves USC without coaching a game for the Trojans, Lincoln Riley has an insurance policy in place.

Remember: Doug Belk, the secondary coach, has been the defensive coordinator at Houston the past few years. Matt Entz, the linebacker coach and defensive assistant, has head coaching experience and would not be out of place as a coordinator. USC already has elite defensive coaches who could step in for Lynn as defensive coordinator. It would not be a downgrade for the Trojans.

Plus: If Lynn does leave and Belk is promoted to defensive coordinator, guess who becomes secondary coach? Taylor Mays, who was outstanding in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville with a newly-expanded role.

USC has lots of options and fallback plans if D’Anton Lynn does leave. We’re not predicting he will leave, but in case wild things happen in the coaching carousel, the Trojans have protected themselves.

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USC interim safeties coach Taylor Mays makes huge impression in Holiday Bowl

Taylor Mays replaced Donte Williams, and USC’s secondary took a huge leap forward. You do the math.

In the cover photo for this story, you can see Taylor Mays — in a USC uniform — making an authoritative tackle for the Trojans against Penn State in the 2009 Rose Bowl. That was the next-to-last great moment for the Pete Carroll dynasty. (The last great moment was the 2009 win at Ohio State.)

Taylor Mays was one of the special players of a special era for USC football. This year, he had a minor role on Lincoln Riley’s staff but got a much bigger chance to directly coach USC players after the regular season ended. Donte Williams went off to Georgia to recruit for Kirby Smart. This enabled Mays to step in and teach USC’s safeties in preparation for the Holiday Bowl against Louisville.

Donte Williams out. Taylor Mays in.

USC profited in a very big way. The math here is undeniable. Taylor Mays made a big statement. Now let’s talk about what this means for USC in 2024 and beyond:

Another one: Former UCLA DB John Humphrey continues Bruin exodus to USC

D’Anton Lynn brought two members of UCLA’s 2023 defense to the USC roster for 2024.

Former UCLA Bruins defensive back John Humphrey has found his new home for the 2024 season, and he won’t have to relocate more than a few miles. He won’t have to jump on a plane and resettle in an entirely different part of the country. He can simply make the short hop from Westwood to Los Angeles. That’s right: Humphrey revealed on Thursday that he will remain in L.A., trading in his Bruins blue for the Cardinal and Gold of USC.

This is yet another big notch on the belt of D’Anton Lynn, the former UCLA defensive coordinator who has now brought two Bruin defensive players over to USC. Lynn is also responsible for bringing the Arnold brothers from Oregon State University down to USC. That’s four players Lynn has ushered to USC and the Trojans’ 2024 defense. This is the value everyone hoped Lynn could deliver to Lincoln Riley’s program, and Lynn has been on the job for only three weeks.

John Humphrey, the newest Trojan, spent the first four years of his college career with UCLA football. In those four years, he amassed a total of 76 combined tackles, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, and four passes defended.

Humphrey will be reunited with Lynn and safety Kamari Ramsey, the other member of the UCLA secondary who transferred to USC this week.

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UCLA transfer Kamari Ramsey commits to USC, follows D’Anton Lynn to the Trojans

D’Anton Lynn continues to add players to the USC secondary.

The USC Trojans have landed 6-foot-1, 205-pound UCLA defensive back Kamari Ramsey via the transfer portal.

Ramsey will follow his defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who left to take the same position for the Trojans, replacing Alex Grinch.

Ramsey will have 3 seasons of eligibility remaining. Ramsey entered the portal earlier in December and offered the following message:

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to UCLA for the opportunity to achieve my academic goals and compete athletically. Thank you to the entire UCLA football program for your time, expertise, and fellowship. I give all honor and glory to God,” said Ramsey. “I plan to enter the transfer portal. I have 3 years of eligibility remaining. I am excited for what the future holds for me as a student-athlete.”

The former four-star safety from Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth (California) appeared in 15 games at UCLA in 2022 and 2023, recording 46 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, one interception, and five pass deflections.

The Trojans have placed an emphasis on adding to the secondary for 2024, given how bad their secondary was in 2023 under now-departed position coach Donte Williams. The team has also brought in DeCarlos Nicholson of Mississippi State and Akili Arnold of Oregon State via the portal.

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