The 2024 season ended in despair for the Penn State Nittany Lions and defensive coordinator Tom Allen after the loss against Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl. However, perhaps next season will have a happier ending, at least for one of the parties as Allen decided to move on to the next chapter on his coaching career, signing with the Clemson Tigers and joining Dabo Swinney’s staff as DC.
Both Penn State and Clemson had disappointing endings to their past NCAA season, but the future is still looking bright. The Nittany Lions and Tigers fell during the CFP, though in different stages, and will vie to have an even deeper run next season.
In order to do so, both schools have signed new defensive coordinators. Penn State brought in former Ohio State DC Jim Knowles to replace Allen, while the latter decided to continue his coaching journey in the state of South Carolina.
Allen will take on a new challenge, leaving the Big Ten behind to join what’s shaping up to be a fierce battle in the ACC—a conference shaken up by Bill Belichick’s arrival in Chapel Hill. While going head-to-head with the greatest NFL coach is thrilling, Allen revealed a key, surprising reason for his decision to join Clemson.
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney walks on the field during pre-game warmups before the Aflac Kickoff Game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes Benz Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Yeah, it was totally unexpected to be honest with you,” Allen admitted, via On3. “I know not everybody’s going to understand it, and I respect that. But what I said earlier was really the bottom line: it’s about my family.
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“And the timing of it all, when you do this as long as I have, and you get to the point where you’ve had some great opportunities and experiences, you care about having your family as close as you can. And sometimes that’s not even possible. So, for my wife to be able to see her grandchildren on a consistent basis, you can’t replace that.”
Dabo Swinney speaks about Allen
Clemson’s defense has become a staple in college football, but this last season was well below of their expectations, as the school finished outside the Top-50 overall defenses in the country for the first time since 2011. Dabo Swinney is looking to change that immediately, and believes Allen was the right guy for the job.
Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers walks the sidelines as they take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Memorial Stadium on November 4, 2023 in Clemson, South Carolina.
“He was a great fit, you know, right out of the gate. As I did, you know – that was part of my process and really looking at everybody,” Swinney said. “I know who’s here and, you know, it’s important to me to bring the right person in here that fit our staff and fit the personnel.”
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Test against Belichick’s Tar Heels
Clemson and North Carolina will meet on the gridiron on October 4th at Kenan Memorial Stadium, in what will be a chess-match between two highly-experienced coaching staffs.