Penn State football is on another coaching hunt, this time for a defensive coordinator.
Matt Campbell’s longtime DC opts for retirement over joining Penn State staff
On Tuesday, head coach Matt Campbell's longtime coordinator Jon Heacock announced his retirement. Heacock was on Campbell's staff since 2014 and was expected to follow him to Penn State. The news of his retirement also came after Jim Knowles' departure from the program and just hours before South Carolina hired defensive line coach Deion Barnes.
Another one bites the dust for Penn State's defensive coordinator search
Despite the two major hits, the Nittany Lions' search for their next defensive coordinator isn't a lost cause. Here are three coaches Campbell shouldn't let pass him by, and some are still under his nose in Happy Valley:
Alabama co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist has significant experience under his belt, including head coaching experience.
Before taking the co-defensive coordinator job with the Crimson Tide, Linguist was Buffalo's head coach from 2021-23. While not a Power Four school, it's still something to note. He also had stops at Texas A&M, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Iowa State, James Madison, Valdosta State, and Baylor. Linguist was also the Dallas Cowboys' defensive backs coach in 2020.
While Campbell and Linguist didn't overlap with the Cyclones as the Penn State head coach started in 2016 and Linguist had his stint from 2014-15, that doesn't mean there's zero connection between the two. He is a viable option for defensive coordinator, especially given his Power Four experience on defensive staffs.
However, Alabama is still in the College Football Playoff after beating No. 8 Oklahoma in the first round. Campbell's going to want to round out his staff as soon as possible, even if that means forgoing Linguist for another candidate — a better candidate, at that. If the Crimson Tide loses against No. 2 Indiana and Penn State still doesn't have its guy, consider Linguist on the board.
Linebackers coach Dan Connor isn't the frontrunner, but he shouldn't be overlooked. He is the all-time leading tackler in Penn State history, a two-time All-American, and the Chuck Bednarik award winner from 2007. Connor is finishing up his fourth season coaching for his alma mater and his first as the Nittany Lions' linebackers coack.
In 2023, he worked closely with the linebacker room and helped progress it to being one of the top defense's in program history. Penn State led defenses around the country in sacks (49) and rushing defense (75.5). The defense was also second in total defense, tackles for loss, and first downs allowed, third in scoring defense, fifth in fumble recoveries, seventh in passing defense, 11th in passing efficiency, and 12th in takeaways.
In 2024, he also briefly stepped in for Tom Allen in 2024 on helmet communication. That season, the linebackers were fourth in the country in interceptions, seventh in total defense, eighth in scoring defense, 10th in takeaways, and 13th in passes defensed.
There are other options Campbell should vie for before Connor, especially given the level of experience other candidates bring to the table internally and externally.
Another internal candidate, Penn State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, recently upgraded to interim defensive coordinator. For the sole Pinstripe Bowl Game, Poindexter will call the Nittany Lions' defense.
He is finishing up his fifth season in his original role at Penn State and also has defensive coordinating experience under his belt. Safeties Jaquan Brisker, Ji'Ayir Brown, Jaylen Reed, and Kevin Winston Jr. are all products of Poindexter's coaching at Penn State.
His coaching experience started in 2003 as a graduate assistant at Virginia where he bounced around coaching positions through the 2013 season. From 2014-16, he was UConn's defensive coordinator then took the co-defensive coordinator job at Purdue from 2017-2020.
With the trust instilled in him to make the jump, even if it's very briefly, to a defensive coordinating role for Penn State, Poindexter brings consistency, stability, and familiarity to the position long-term.
With Heacock out of the picture USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn is the frontrunner for Penn State's opening. Lynn finished his second season on Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley's staff.
In his first season, he advanced USC's defense across the board. The Trojans held opponents to 24.1 points per game, improving from 2023's 34.4 average. They also ranked 21st nationally and second in the Big Ten with a 0.335 third-down conversion percentage defense (previously 106th nationally with 0.436 percent in 2023). In 2025, Lynn's defense was eighth in the country in red zone defense (71.1 percent).
As defensive coordinator, Lynn has the most experience calling the defense out of anyone on this list. He previously held the role at UCLA in 2023 before heading to USC and took the Bruins' defense from No. 87 to No. 10 in one season.
Before coaching on the college level, Lynn was the Baltimore Ravens' safeties coach from 2021-22, the Houston Texans' secondary coach in 2020 (assistant secondary coach from 2018-19), the Los Angeles Chargers' defensive assistant coach in 2017, and the Buffalo Bills' defensive assistant coach from 2015-16.
His multi-level experience is only the tip of the iceberg as to why Lynn is the prime candidate for this role.
The former defensive back played for the Nittany Lions from 2008-11 when he was in college. At Penn State, he played in 47 games and registered 162 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four interceptions, one fumble recovery and a half-sack. In 2010, he was sixth in the Big Ten in interceptions, and fourth in the conference in passes defensed in 2009. Lynn also logged the Nittany Lions' second-most tackles in 2010.