Checks all the boxes: National analysts praise Penn State football move to hire Tom Allen as DC

James Franklin and Penn State football rapidly concluded the search for a new defensive coordinator in the early portions of this week. First reported as the primary target on Sunday, an agreement with former Indiana head coach Tom Allen was officially reached on Tuesday. Franklin and the Nittany Lions have received much acclaim in the hours since the news first broke, as the decision is being touted as a strong move for Penn State on multiple fronts. 

Checks all the boxes: Hire of Tom Allen receives high praise in national media

With the hire of Tom Allen as defensive coordinator on Tuesday, James Franklin followed the mold he set when he brought Manny Diaz on to the staff two seasons ago. In Allen, Penn State football finds a “head coach of the defense,” who rapidly turned around the Indiana defense when he joined as defensive coordinator in 2016. 

The strong defenses continued when Allen took over as the Hoosiers’ head coach in 2017. Indiana was one of the better teams on third down in the Big Ten during Allen’s eight-year tenure despite typically being outmatched talent-wise. 

On Monday, CBS Sports’ Cover 3 Podcast broke down the hire and why Allen was a wise choice for James Franklin and Penn State football. 

“Tom Allen was a very good defensive coordinator for a long time at a lot of different schools,” Tom Fornelli explained. “And I think that, if you look at what the Indiana defense had been the last couple of years with a talent level that was not commensurate with what Penn State has, Tom Allen had a big role in that. Now Tom Allen goes to Penn State, where he’s going to have a lot better players…I think you can argue that this will be the most talented level of player he’s had as a defensive coordinator in his career, considering what Penn State usually has.”

“You lose Manny Diaz, who is a former head coach with plenty of experience,” he continued. “And you bring in another former head coach with plenty of experience to that staff…It makes a ton of sense. Oh, and also, he has familiarity with the league. It checks all the boxes of what you’re kind of looking for.”

“I think players liked playing for him; it was just a really tough spot to win [at Indiana],” Danny Kanell added. “I think you saw great effort from his defenses… I’m excited to see what he can do with the type of talent he’s going to have at Penn State. I wouldn’t expect much drop-off.”

Allen’s hire can aid Penn State football on the recruiting trail as well

You can argue that the hiring of Tom Allen may be just as significant off the field as on it. Allen brings recruiting experience in the state of Florida as both a high school coach and as the former defensive coordinator at USF. 

Allen recruited the state very well at Indiana relative to the program’s standing. This season, the Hoosiers had 11 players from Florida on the roster, including 8 on defense. 

Sunshine State recruiting is extremely important for Penn State football, as well. In 2023, 5 of the 6 Floridians on the Nittany Lions’ roster were on the defensive side of the ball. James Franklin will bring in two more, CBs Jon Mitchell and Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, during National Signing Day on Wednesday. 

“Penn State recruits the state of Florida pretty hard,” 247Sports analyst Bud Elliot said on Cover 3 Monday. “And Tom Allen has a lot of connections down here. So, I think that also helps with their staff continuity. You got him, Ja’Juan Seider, and a lot of guys who know and are respected by the high school coaches in the state of Florida. I think it’s a nice move for the recruiting side of the Nittany Lions, as well.”

We’ll hear from Tom Allen for the first time following the NSD festivities Wednesday afternoon. Like new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, we can expect Allen to be an active observer as Penn State prepares to take on Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl next weekend.

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