USC Football: How Will D'Anton Lynn Affect USC's Recruiting?

"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."

These are the words that USC head coach Lincoln Riley had to say about his new defensive coordinator, former UCLA defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn. Lynn took the UCLA defense from zero to hero after Chip Kelly brought him in. He left the Bruin defense in much better shape than when he started. 

So, what experience does Lynn have that might give us a hint at how he will affect recruiting? Prior to joining the Trojans, Lynn's only college coaching experience was this past season (2023) at UCLA. Before that, he was a position coach for various NFL teams. 

Lynn has only one season of recruiting experience, and even then he likely wasn't tasked with recruiting all that much since it was his first season coaching in college. 

From my experience talking with UCLA recruits, Lynn's name did not often come up when they discussed the coaches they were talking to. But Lynn does have one advantage, and it's actually the same thing that gives him a disadvantage. 

While he may not be able to covet those lower-level recruits, he might have a better chance at recruiting the top recruits who already have their eyes set on the NFL. Lynn may be able to convince recruits that he knows what it takes to play on Sundays not only based on the fact that he played but also coached in the NFL. And while not every high school recruit has intentions of playing in the NFL one day, for the recruits that do, Lynn could position himself as the ticket to get there. 

USC's 2024 recruiting class leaves something to be desired. But now with Lynn at the helm of the defense, they may see a late surge in commitments as the early signing day quickly approaches. 

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