Only a quarterback change could overshadow USC's continued quest for a functional defense. Dantong Lin is the latest person to take on this difficult challenge.
The first-year defensive coordinator is no stranger to reclamation projects. He turned UCLA into one of the best defenses in the Pac-12 in just one season. This is the 34-year-old's first time coaching in college, and he hopes to use that experience to produce similar or even better results at USC.
“One thing I learned quickly is to never assume anything,” Lin said last month. “There's a certain level in the NFL that players think they know. But in college, you don't know any of these kids' backgrounds. So I think that makes me a much better teacher. I felt like, you know, you're really assuming that these kids don't know soccer at all, and you have to coach the room as if they don't know soccer, and maybe that It's because someone in the room doesn't know anything about soccer.”
USC is hoping new defensive coordinator Danton Lynn can turn around the Trojans' defense, as he did recently with UCLA.
(Ashley Landis/Associated Press)
Lin's defense is built on offensive communication, shocking effort, and attacking the football. He hopes to “make it look a little bit more alike.” Linebackers coach Matt Entz said the scheme is a loose 4-2-5 structure. There are multiple coverages in the secondary to create the necessary pressure and a variety of movement up front, but all defensive coaches leave room for experimentation as they continue to learn new players.
“I want to go into spring with an open mind,” Lin said. “I think we'll just have to see, how do they fit into this plan? And again, we're going to apply this plan to our players as well.”
