BREAKING: Penn State football set to hire next defensive coordinator

The Penn State football team has been searching for its next defensive coordinator since Manny Diaz departed for Duke to be their head coach. Replacing one coordinator is challenging, but two in the same offseason is incredibly difficult. On the offensive side of the ball, Penn State has their guy in Andy Kotelnicki. On the defensive side, they will turn towards former Indiana head coach Tom Allen as the next Nittany Lion defensive coordinator.

BREAKING: Penn State football set to hire next defensive coordinator

Tom Allen is expected to accept the position to become the next defensive coordinator of the Penn State football team according to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the deal will be complete in the next few days. Allen, who most recently was the head coach at Indiana between 2017-2023 is a brilliant defensive mind. Defensive coordinator is a role he is familiar with as he served in that position at South Florida, and Indiana before becoming their head coach.

Sources: Penn State is targeting former Indiana coach Tom Allen to be the school’s next defensive coordinator. Deal is being finalized and is expected to come together in the upcoming days.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 17, 2023

James Franklin has dipped back into the well of former head coaches who have a defensive identity that needs a career resurgence. Remember, Manny Diaz spent time as Miami head’s coach before he was let go. Then, his next role was at Penn State as their DC where he excelled.

Allen’s head coach was up and down overall. But at the end of the day, most head coaches have not had success with that program. His best season came in 2019 when the Hoosiers were 8-5. But after losing QB Michael Penix to Washington the team was in a downward spiral. 2-10 in 2021, 4-8 in 2022, and 3-9 in 2023 Allen was let go after the end of the regular season

Replacing Manny Diaz will not be easy

The Tom Allen era will be interesting at Penn State. Many are going to miss Manny Diaz due to his aggressive style and fit with the Nittany Lions. Players loved playing for him and that was clear when they reacted to his departure on social media. But at the end of the day, life will go on. Hopefully, Penn State will keep the same style of defense, aggressive, attacking, and forcing plenty of turnovers. But this 2024 coaching staff is going to look very different when the Nittany Lions take the field in West Virginia in week 1.

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