Coach D'Anton Lynn-led defense inspires tremendous amount of confidence at USC

Regardless of which era or what is being emphasized in college football, defense matters. Scoring points is obviously a must, but being able to get key stops is the difference between sustained winning and not.

Certainly positioned to be a head coach in his own right one day, defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn is one of the emerging coaching talents in the sport. Previously with UCLA, coach Lynn is someone who would easily attract attention from programs across the nation if his candidacy were to be publicly announced.

For now, he is with the Trojans. In a further example of how coach Lincoln Riley is delegating the right people to fill the needed responsibilities. Coach Lynn has a proven track record at the collegiate level and also adds an NFL pedigree and experience.

For the Trojans to be at their best, they need a unit that can dictate games from that side of the ball. Good defenses do well in reacting to what the other team's offensive coordinator is laying out there. Great units force the issue and can dictate terms.

Naturally, the advantage will always be with the offense. They are the ones, after all, who know with certainty what the play call is and have the advantage at the wide positions of facing forward while the secondary players are forced to match the high-level athletes while going backward.

Even so, a great tactical mind can anticipate and then flip the terms of engagement from a defensive standpoint and either force an offense to play one-dimensional or into a mistake.

This is the aim of the coach Lynn scheme. The described aspect may not have shown itself in full force during his first year at USC, but the signs were there. With players like Kamari Ramsey and Devan Thompkins now having a full second year in the same system, it is scary to think about what further leaps this Trojan defense can take in 2025.

Defensive identity needed at USC

Regardless if it's 1995, 2025, or 2035, a team that is built the right way has a strong defense. It's unknown what exactly that will look like for the Trojans, with the returning pieces and newly added talent joining the roster.

In any event, USC has the right person in charge, and there are a lot of bright spots Trojan fans can point to that garner excitement for the upcoming season.