Forged in football alongside his father, D'Anton Lynn aims to revive UCLA's defense
The kid took his finger and drew a play in the dirt. The coach who also happened to be his father eyed the play, then his son and told him to stop it.
You don't like my plays? I think my plays are pretty good.
To that point, D'Anton Lynn and his father had always been in lockstep when it came to the boy's football roles. Mascot. Cheerleader. Ball boy. Peewee quarterback. That was the logical progression when your dad plays the game and his former high school sweetheart has an unplanned pregnancy his redshirt junior season at Texas Tech.
The boy followed Anthony Lynn everywhere, weaned on sidelines and in locker rooms. The biggest boosters couldn't pay for the kind of access little D'Anton enjoyed inside Jones Stadium. His dad's teammates pitched in, babysitting whenever the star running back who became a three-time team captain went on a date.
Curiosity about the sport came naturally as the boy grew and his father transitioned into coaching. D'Anton would flip through his father's thick playbook, mesmerized by the Xs and Os going this way and the other. The boy drew up his own plays, scrawling one in the dirt during his
