As Franklin said before hiring Allen last year, Penn State's defense is not in rebuild mode. The program is about winning now, which the returns of Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki have foreshadowed. Franklin is chasing hardware next season, and the defensive coordinator hire will reflect that.

For a brief moment, the future of USC’s defense in the Lincoln Riley era hung in the balance, with a defensive coordinator uprooted 2,570 miles away in State College, Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, former Penn State DC Tom Allen was formally inked as Clemson’s newest defensive coordinator,

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen has agreed to take the same position at Clemson, the school announced on Tuesday. Allen, who just finished his first season as Penn State's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach,

Penn State has officially lost its defensive coordinator. Tom Allen, after one just season with the Nittany Lions, was formally named Clemson’s new defensive coordinator on Tuesday afternoon.

Clemson has hired Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen for the same role with the Tigers. The move was finalized Tuesday by the school’s Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.

Tom Allen, the former Penn State defensive coordinator and Indiana head coach, will not hit the road to recruit. Dabo Swinney said Ben Boulware will do that.

Haines was a finalist for the Broyles Award (top assistant) in 2024 and a semifinalist for the award in 2023. During Allen’s one season in State College, Penn State, the Lions finished No. 7 in FBS in total defense (294.8), No. 8 in scoring defense (16.5) and No. 9 in rushing defense (101.9).

Tom Allen reportedly is closing in on the same job at Clemson. The Nittany Lions' top two running backs will be back, though.

Sources: Clemson is working toward a deal to hire Penn State DC Tom Allen as the school’s new defensive coordinator. He’s the top target and a final decision is expected in the upcoming days. pic.twitter.com/8PLnibXD2j

Though the Allen children are grown now, during their formative years, Dad moved the family from Indiana to Tennessee to Iowa to Mississippi to Florida and back to Indiana as he climbed the ladder from high school head coach to Big Ten defensive coordinator over an 11-year period from 2006-16.

James Franklin must hire a new defensive coordinator for the third time in four years. Here are seven potential candidates