Tom Allen Agrees To Become Clemson’s Defensive Coordinator
After just one season with Penn State football, defensive coordinator Tom Allen has agreed to take the same job at Clemson, CBS Sports’s Matt Zenitz reported Monday.
Penn State looks as if it’ll need to find a new defensive coordinator for the 2025 season. On Monday, multiple reports stated that current defensive coordinator Tom Allen will be leaving the Nittany Lions to take the same position at Clemson. Allen spent just one season at Penn State after being let go as the head coach at Indiana.
This would be the third time in four years that James Franklin would have to find a new defensive coordinator after Manny Diaz spent two years with the staff before becoming the head coach at Duke last year.
This past season, Allen oversaw a Penn State defense that ranked among the very best in the nation, finishing sixth overall in opponent points allowed per game (16.5), fifth overall in opponent yards allowed per game (294.7) and fifth overall in opponent red zone scoring percentage (70.5).
Penn State’s Tom Allen has agreed to become the new defensive coordinator at Clemson, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports.
Clemson and Allen, who ESPN previously said Clemson was working toward getting a deal done with, are expected to get a deal done in the next day or so.… pic.twitter.com/rTeayuYmZk
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 13, 2025
Swinney fired longtime staffer and third-year defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin after a season where the Tigers ranked 85th in rushing defense (160.6 YPG).