USC officially announced the hire of UCLA’s D’Anton Lynn as its next defensive coordinator Friday night.

News broke shortly before the Pac-12 Championship Game kicked off that coach Lincoln Riley was nearing an agreement to bring Lynn across town to take over the Trojans’ vacant DC job. Several hours later, USC made things official. Lynn is coming to USC on a three-year deal.

“We are thrilled to welcome D’Anton and his family to USC,” Riley said in a release. “We simply couldn’t ask for a better addition to our staff. His successful experiences in both college and the NFL make him the perfect fit for our program. I hope you will join me in welcoming him to the Trojan Family.”

A three-time All-Big Ten honorable mention at Penn State, Lynn will look to resurrect USC’s defense as the program moves into the Big Ten in 2024. USC enters the postseason with one of the worst scoring defenses in college football, allowing 34.9 points per game through 12 regular-season games.

Lynn worked in the scouting department for the New York Jets in 2013, then began his coaching career as an intern with the Jets in 2014. He was an assistant on the Buffalo Bills from 2015-16, then an assistant with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017.

He spent the next three seasons with the Houston Texas and then spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

Lynn has worked with linebackers and defensive backs. In his first season at UCLA, he turned edge rusher Laiatu Latu loose to lead one of college football’s best defenses at producing tackles for loss.

Latu enters the postseason as the FBS leader in tackles for loss per game (1.8). He’s also fourth nationally in sacks per game (1.08). Latu is a finalist for the Lombardi Award, the Bednarik Award, and the Lott IMPACT Trophy.