D'Anton Lynn (born Anthony Ray Lynn II, October 24, 1989) is the defensive coordinator for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...

of the Pac-12 Conference (NCAA). He previously served as the

defensive backs coach In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

in 2021 before being elevated in 2022 to

safeties coach Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...

for the

. Lynn was previously the

secondary coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

for the Houston Texans, and has also been an assistant coach with the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. Lynn played college football at Penn State, where he was a three time All-Big Ten selection as a defensive back, and was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the Jets in 2012.

Playing career

High school

Lynn attended Celina High School in

Celina, Texas Celina ( ) is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Celina is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and is nestled between the major arteries of Texas State Highway 289 (Preston Road) to the east and the future Dal ...

. Lynn also played defensive back, linebacker, quarterback, running back and wide receiver at Celina High School. He was selected for the Associated Press Class 3A first-team all-state.

College

Lynn played four seasons at Penn State.D'Anton Lynn Penn State profile
/ref> During his tenure in Penn State, Lynn recorded 162 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery. In his junior year, Lynn started every single game at

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. He finished the season with 75 tackles, 3 interceptions and 7 passes defensed. On September 11, 2010, he recorded 5 tackles in a loss to No. 1 ranked

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

by the score of 24-3. The next game on September 18, 2010, he had 2 tackles and an interception against Kent State and Penn State won 24-0. On October 23, 2010, he record 10 tackles, one interception and 2 passes defended against

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and Penn State won 33-21. In his sophomore year, he won the starting

position. On October 31, 2009, he recorded 8 tackles against Northwestern as Penn State won 34-13. In his Freshman year, on October 11, 2008, he just had 2 tackles against

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and Penn State won 48-7.

National Football League

2012 NFL Combine

New York Jets

On April 29, 2012, Lynn signed with New York Jets as an undrafted free agent and reuniting him with his father

Anthony Lynn Anthony Ray Lynn (born December 21, 1968) is an American football coach and former running back who is the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in t ...

who was at the time the Jets running backs coach. On August 31, 2012, he was released.

Canadian Football League

Hamilton Tiger Cats

On May 24, 2013, Lynn signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. On June 2, 2013, Lynn was released.

Coaching career

New York Jets

In 2014, Lynn served as a seasonal intern for the New York Jets, after serving in the team's scouting department in 2013.

Buffalo Bills

On January 26, 2015, Lynn was hired by the Buffalo Bills as a defensive assistant.

Los Angeles Chargers

On February 2, 2017, Lynn was hired by the

as a defensive assistant.

Houston Texans

On February 7, 2018, Lynn was hired by the Houston Texans as their assistant defensive backs coach under head coach Bill O’Brien. On January 29, 2020, Lynn was promoted to the team's secondary coach.

Baltimore Ravens

On January 24, 2021, Lynn was hired by the

as their defensive backs coach under defensive coordinator

Don Martindale Don "Wink" Martindale (born May 19, 1963) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). From 2018 to 2021, he held the same position for the Baltimore Ravens afte ...

and head coach

John Harbaugh John William Harbaugh (born September 23, 1962) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he coached the defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles and served ...

. On January 20, 2022, Lynn was selected as

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of the East squad in the 2022

East-West Shrine Bowl East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *''East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salma ...

held in Las Vegas.

UCLA Bruins

On February 27, 2023, Lynn was hired by

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

to become their defensive coordinator, replacing Bill McGovern.

Personal life

Lynn is the son of former

head coach, and current

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

assistant head coach,

References

External links

Penn State bio

New York Jets bio

Hamilton Tiger-Cats bio

Buffalo Bills bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynn, D'Anton 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Plano, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football cornerbacks Penn State Nittany Lions football players New York Jets players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Baltimore Ravens coaches Buffalo Bills coaches Houston Texans coaches Los Angeles Chargers coaches New York Jets coaches