Eric Henderson takes the reins of USC’s defense for Alamo Bowl

SAN ANTONIO — D’Anton Lynn was not on the sidelines for USC’s Alamo Bowl game against TCU.

Penn State hasn’t officially announced that it has hired Lynn to be its defensive coordinator, but reports of a deal being reached and his absence on Tuesday are telling.

USC co-defensive coordinator Eric Henderson was instead calling the defense in the Trojans’ final game of the season in the Alamodome, the same stadium where he coached UTSA in 2016 before beginning his coaching career in the NFL.

“Coach Henny,” as he’s affectionately called by players, was all business during warmups. High fives and handshakes were exchanged, but few words were exchanged with the coach.

Lynn is reportedly on track to return to his alma mater, Penn State, after spending two seasons with USC as one of college football’s highest-paid assistant coaches. USC extended his contract at the beginning of 2025, giving him an estimated $2 million salary.

The investment paid off.

NFL-bound safety Kamari Ramsey followed Lynn from UCLA to USC and stuck with the program, providing experience and intelligence at the center of the defense. Fellow safety Bishop Fitzgerald ascended to become an All-American.

Otherwise, the defense had plateaued this season. Lynn drastically improved the defense in his first year with the program, but the rapid success had flatlined in 2025.

Excessive youth and inexperience on the defense kept the Trojans from reaching their full potential. Lynn had even said that it changed the way he coached, and he had to simplify concepts and encourage communication between players.

“It’s a little different when you’re teaching an 18-year-old,” Lynn told reporters earlier this season, “and when you’re teaching a guy that’s been at two or three schools that’s already played a bunch of college ball.”

USC finished 12th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten in total defense in the regular season.

Lynn is now moving into an uncertain situation in Happy Valley after the Nittany Lions went 7-6 – their worst season since 2021. Penn State ousted former head coach James Franklin and brought in Matt Campbell, who had Iowa State ranked as high as No. 12 in the AP rankings this season.

Meanwhile, Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley believes USC’s defensive coordinator position right now is a desirable one.

“These are really coveted jobs,” Riley told reporters in mid-December. “And this job, frankly, is a lot different than it was four years ago, and it’s even a lot different than it was two years ago.

“That’s our job – to be prepared, to have flexibility within the staff and within the team to be able to go and execute and adjust.”

The rumor mill has started to manufacture multiple names of coaches who could succeed Lynn. The most frequently recurring one is Pete Kwiatkowski, who was unexpectedly fired by Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian after five years with the Longhorns.

USC could also choose to promote from within the program.

Defensive line coach Shaun Nua is in his fourth season with the Trojans and is rumored to potentially be the next defensive coordinator at BYU, where he played defensive end for three seasons before going to the NFL.

Henderson could also become a full-time defensive coordinator, depending on how Riley evaluates his performance in the Alamo Bowl.

The offseason coaching cycle is as promising as it is unforgiving. Though Lynn was missing from the sidelines on Tuesday, the USC team that was on the field (minus several high-profile opt-outs) was in contention for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff until a Nov. 22 road loss to Oregon.

Even though he’s departing for central Pennsylvania, the ball is in USC’s West Coast court.