If the reports are right — Pete Thamel of ESPN had it first — Tom Allen will be the next defensive coordinator at Penn State. He’ll succeed Manny Diaz, who left after two very successful seasons, to become the head coach at Duke.
Whether Allen can replace Diaz, who guided the 10-2, Peach Bowl-bound Nittany Lions to the No. 1 defense in all of college football in 2023, is a whole ’nother question.
Allen was fired as the head coach of Indiana on Nov. 26, departing with a record of 33-49 (#5) and a buyout of $15.5 million (#13a). That included a 1-6 mark as Indiana’s head coach against Penn State (#8), punctuated by a controversial 36-35 overtime win over Penn State in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
The Hoosiers won just three Big Ten Conference games out of 27 since 2021. Over each of the past three seasons, Indiana had just about the worst defense — statistically, in points allowed and total yards surrendered — in the 14-team conference (#5d). Of course, the Hoosiers had to play The Big Three plus Sparty every year.
The addition of Allen will be head coach James Franklin’s second new coordinator hire in less than three weeks, as he officially hired Andy Kotelnicki on Dec. 1 to replace fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.
There’s lots more to know about Penn State’s new DC, so let’s go All(en)-22 in this special edition:
1. Franklin on Allen, in October 2023, in the days leading up to the Penn State-Indiana game: “When you talk about Indiana and Tom Allen, I like Tom a lot. Really good guy. Really good representative of Indiana University and our conference.”
2. Franklin on Allen, in 2018: “Got a lot of respect for Coach Allen and what he’s done. Really a good guy. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him, both personally and professionally. Really a good guy.”
3. Allen, 53, played his high school football at New Castle High School in Indiana — where his dad, also named Tom Allen, was the head coach. He played college football and wrestled at Maranatha Baptist University in Wisconsin, then coached high school in Florida and Indiana (among his players there was Penn State football video chief Jevin Stone; see #17) before becoming a small college assistant.
4. Among Allen’s assistant coaching stops was a three-year stint as defensive coordinator at Penn State’s Peach Bowl opponent, Ole Miss, from 2012-14. He was also a DC at Lambuth, Drake and South Florida. He also coached at Wabash and Arkansas State. Allen left USF in 2016 to be the DC at Indiana under Kevin Wilson. Wilson was fired after the regular season and on Dec. 1, 2016, Allen was hired as the head coach at Indiana.
4a. Allen has coached linebackers at numerous stops, so figure that he will slide into that spot on the Nittany Lion defense, in addition to being DC.
5. At Indiana, Allen had a 33-49 overall record, and was 18-43 in the Big Ten, while playing in the very rough East division. Indiana appeared in three bowls under Allen, losing all three.
5a. Not to compare…but I will: Diaz was 21-15 in his three seasons as head coach at Miami (Fla.), and before coming to Penn State he had an extensive resume as defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech, Texas and Miami (Fla).
5b. About Allen’s last three seasons at Indiana: The Hoosiers were 2-10, 4-8 and 3-9. That’s 9-27. Their three Big Ten wins in that time were against Wisconsin (20-14) in 2023, and vs. Illinois (23-20) and Michigan State (39-31, OT) in 2022. They did not win a Big Ten game in 2021.
5c. Allen’s biggest loss during that span came in 2022, when Indiana QB Michael Penix Jr. transferred to the University of Washington. Penix played in 21 games in four seasons at Indiana; he’s played in 26 games and won 24 of them in two seasons at Washington, which is CFP-bound and will play Texas in the Sugar Bowl.
5d. Here’s where Allen’s Indiana defenses ranked stat-wise the last three years:
| Year | Points | Big Ten | National | Total Yards | Big Ten | National |
| 2023 | 29.92 | 13 | 97 | 394.1 | 14 | 86 |
| 2022 | 33.92 | 14 | 119 | 449.2 | 14 | 118 |
| 2021 | 33.25 | 14 | 109 | 384.6 | 10 | 71 |
6. Allen and Indiana had an excellent stretch in 2019 (8-5) and the COVID-shortened 2020 (6-2) season. The 14 wins were the most for two consecutive seasons — despite only playing eight games in 2020 — at Indiana since 1993-94. In 2020, Allen was named AFCA Coach of the Year as the Hoosiers hit a high-water mark of No. 7 during that season.
6a. In 2020 in Bloomington, Ind. against a visiting Penn State, at the end of overtime, the scoreboard read “Indiana 36, Penn State 35.”
7. In the 2023 contest, played Oct. 28 in Beaver Stadium, Indiana was a four-touchdown underdog, but led 14-7 in the second quarter and was tied 24-24 in the fourth quarter (see #7b). Indiana entered the game with the worst statistical run defense in the Big Ten, and held Nittany Lion running backs Kaytron Allen (81 yards) and Nick Singleton (50) to a combined 131 yards on 33 caries (4 yards per carry).
7a. Penn State clinched the win with a 57-yard TD pass from QB Drew Allar to WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith with 1:46 left in the game. Until that scoring drive, Penn State had gained only 253 yards of offense the entire game — 142 yards passing and 111 yards rushing.
7b. Down 24-21 with 2:58 to play, on a fourth-and-6 call from the Penn State 17, Allen opted for Indiana to try a 35-yard field goal — which it made, to tie the game, 24-24. Indiana, which took over at the PSU 21 following an Allar pick, ran three straight running plays for four yards. Really.
8. Allen was 1-6 against Penn State as a head coach, and the Hoosiers also lost to Penn State in 2016, when he was Indiana’s defensive coordinator. The Nittany Lion offense scored 295 points and averaged 36.9 points per game in those eight contests against Allen. That’s vs. four different Penn State offensive coordinators.
| Year | IND | Score |
| 2016 | L | 46-31 |
| 2017 | L | 45-14 |
| 2018 | L | 33-28 |
| 2019 | L | 34-27 |
| 2020 | W | 36-35 (OT) |
| 2021 | L | 24-0 |
| 2022 | L | 45-14 |
| 2023 | L | 33-24 |
9. Speaking of Indiana, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft’s extensive time at IU did not coincide with Allen’s. Allen arrived in 2016 and Kraft left in 2011.
9a. Kraft played linebacker at Indiana in the late 1990s, then stuck around to earn a master’s in sports administration and a doctorate in sport management. Kraft held a number of titles in the Indiana athletic department, including senior assistant AD, and also taught at Indiana. He left in 2011 for a senior level AD position at Loyola.
10. This is the fifth former college football head coach Franklin has had on his staff at Penn State since coming to Happy Valley in 2014 — and three of the five he hired at PSU were as DC’s:
11. The list:
• Bob Shoop, head coach at Columbia (2003-05, 7-23); DC at Penn State (2014-15).
• Joe Moorhead, head coach at Fordham (2012-15, 38-13); OC at Penn State (2016-17).
• Manny Diaz, head coach at Miami (Fla.) (2019-21, 21-15); DC at Penn State (2022-23).
• Stacy Collins, head coach at South Dakota School of Mines (2012-15, 16-27); special teams coordinator, Penn State (2022-present).
• Tom Allen, head coach at Indiana (2017-23, 33-49; DC at Penn State (2024).
12. What Franklin said on Friday about what he is looking for in a new defensive coordinator:
12a. “Obviously, someone who’s got extensive defensive coordinator experience, someone that runs a similar scheme and philosophy because our current players have had a lot of success in a similar system. I’ve had three defensive coordinators that have all been able to play at a high level and we’ve taken a similar approach with all three. But then we’ve also recruited towards a certain scheme, as well, and to me, I’m not saying that what we have played is the only way you can play defense. There are guys that run a 3-4 that are highly successful. There are guys that are running a 3-3-5 stack that are highly successful.”
12b. “…You’re looking for a fit with our players. You’re looking for a fit with the staff, a fit in the community. If somebody had head coaching experience, I think there’s value in that. I think Manny’s time as a head coach was valuable. (Special teams coach) Stacy Collins’ value as a previous head coach, there’s value in those things. I don’t think that’s the end-all be-all but it’s helpful if we can find it.”
13. Allen, whose catchphrase at Indiana was “LEO, Love Each Other,” may not be in for the money. But he’ll gladly take it.
13a. According to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, in announcing Allen’s dismissal, Indiana said it had agreed to a $15.5 million settlement with the coach that will be paid over two installments. Allen was to receive one $7.75 million payment this year and another in 2024, Rittenberg reported. The amount will not be offset by Allen’s future earnings, Rittenberg reported, as Allen’s original buyout would have been.
14. Diaz was still receiving money from Miami (Fla.) while he was coaching at Penn State. According to Audrey Snyder of The Athletic, “including his buyout, Diaz made $3.6 million this season and was set to make $3.7 million at Penn State in 2024.”
15. The going rate for a top-notch college football DC is $1.9 million, according to USA Today’s recent salary survey. It revealed that DC Glen Schumann of Georgia is No. 1 and makes $1.902 million, and a whole host of others are at $1.9 million, including Jim Knowles of Ohio State.
16. So, Penn State will not owe Indiana any buyout money for signing Allen. But, let’s say Allen wants to be paid on-par with Kotelnicki — which is for four years for an average of $1.775 million per year. Details:
16a. Numerous reports have listed Kotelnicki’s contract with Penn State as a four-year deal, all guaranteed, beginning at $1.6 million, then going to $1.7 million, $1.8 million and then $2 million in Year 4. Penn State also paid Kansas the $700,000 that Kotelnicki owed Kansas to get out of the five-year deal he signed with the university in January 2023. That deal was for $1 million per year, with an annual $100,00 retention bonus.
17. Jevin Stone, head of football coaching technology for Penn State, played high school football in Indiana. His coach? Tom Allen.
18. And what now of Anthony Pondexter? Poindexter, who was the co-defensive coordinator at Purdue in 2017-20 and DC at UConn in 2014-16, has held the title of co-DC and safeties coach since he was hired by Franklin in 2021. With analyst Robb Smith, Poindexter will be interim co-defensive coordinator for the Peach Bowl.
19. At a press conference on Friday in Beaver Stadium, I asked Poindexter: “Do you want to be the next defensive coordinator? And have you already interviewed for the job?”
20. His reply: “Me and Coach (Franklin) have had several conversations and, you know, we’re seeing how things work out. Me and Coach have had several conversations.”
21. What’s next for Tom Allen? His contract must be approved by a Penn State Board of Trustees sub-committee, then it is likely he’ll do what all of Franklin’s newly-hired coordinators do in December — watch practice (a la Kotelnicki, above), contribute insights, meet with players, get to know the lay of the land.
22. Indiana and Penn State do not meet each other in football in 2024. But, they meet again in 2025, in Beaver Stadium. Date tba.
