Tag: Tom Allen

Penn State defensive coordinator named semi-finalist for Broyles Award

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen is up for the top assistant coach award.

Penn State defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] has been enjoying his first season in Happy Valley, and his performance this season has not gone unnoticed. Allen was named a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, which is awarded to college football’s top assistant coach.

The Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation announced its list of 15 semi-finalists for this year’s top assistant coach on Tuesday. Allen was one of four assistants from the Big Ten to make the latest cut. He is also one of 11 defensive coordinators on the list of semi-finalists.

Some of the other notable semi-finalists for this year’s Broyles Award include Al Golden (Notre Dame defensive coordinator), Jim Knowles (Ohio State defensive coordinator), and Tosh Lupoi (Oregon defensive coordinator).

The Broyles Award has a strong history of having winners go on to receive head coaching opportunities. Some previous winners of the Broyles Award include Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley, Lincoln Riley, Pat Narduzzi, Gus Malzahn, and Kirby Smart.

Last year’s winner was Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker.

Penn State has never had an assistant win the Broyles Award.

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Best photos from Penn State’s regular season finale victory over Maryland

Check out the best photos from Penn State’s 44-7 victory over Maryland to close out the regular season.

The temperatures were frigid and Beaver Stadium was far from packed, but Penn State managed to close out the regular season in style with a 44-7 victory over Maryland. The win capped an 11-1 regular season and ultimately sends Penn State off to the Big Ten championship game for the second time in program history.

[autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] set a couple of records in the win as he polished off his awards profile for consideration, and [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] overcame a fumble on the first play of the game to score two touchdowns and return a long kickoff to spark the offense to the rout of the Terrapins.

Here are some of the best photos from Saturday’s regular-season finale victory over the Terrapins.

Penn State will play for the Big Ten championship next week. The Nittany Lions will face Oregon in Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday, Dec. 7. Kcikoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Penn State defensive coordinator reunites with former QB

A former Indiana head coach and quarterback caught up after Penn State’s win over Bowling Green.

The world of college football sees more and more players and coaches taking alternate routes on their respective journeys, and sometimes those paths find a way to cross one more time. This was the case on Saturday in Beaver Stadium as Penn State hosted Bowling Green for a non-conference matchup.

Following a 34-27 victory over the Falcons, Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen made sure to catch up with Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak. Bazelak was a quarterback for Allen during their time together at Indiana.

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The embrace between the former head coach and quarterback is a reminder of the importance and value of relationships built in the sport of college football. Allen recruited Bazelak to Indiana from Missouri out of the transfer portal in 2022 and he was a part of Allen’s program in Bloomington for two seasons. The results may not have panned out the way each would have hoped, of course. Indiana removed Allen as head coach following the 2023 season and Bazelak decided to transfer once again to Bowling Green following the coaching change with Indiana.

Bazelak must have been frustrating his former head coach at Indiana in the first half. Bazelak was slicing up the Penn State defense for much of the first half of the game as Bowling Green opened up a 17-7 lead and took a 24-20 lead into halftime. Fortunately for Penn State, Allen had his defense ready to make some stops and big plays in the second half.

Bowling Green was held to just a late field goal in the second half as Penn State’s defense picked off Bazelak twice in the fourth quarter en route to a 34-27 victory in the home opener.

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James Franklin sets the bar high for his squad at 2024 Big Ten media

James Franklin sets high expectations for his squad at 2024 Big Ten Media days

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] spoke to the media on Wednesday at Big Ten media day. He discussed the new Big Ten and how his team is shaping up for 2024.

With the expanded College Football Playoff coming into play this season, Penn State is one of the teams that should benefit the most. In his ten seasons in Happy Valley, Franklin’s Penn State squads have five 10-win seasons, making many view this season as a playoff spot or bust.

“We are one of the few programs in the country where you can win 10 or 11 games, and people are unhappy,” Franklin said at Big Ten media day. “We embrace that, and we are excited about those opportunities.”

Franklin and the Nittany Lions haven’t beaten Ohio State or Michigan since 2020 but will be able to face the Buckeyes on November 2 at Beaver Stadium. His record against the AP Top 10 is only 3-17 since he became Penn State’s coach, and that record will likely have to improve if the Nittany Lions want a playoff spot in December.

Related: Where Penn State lands in USA TODAY Sports 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll

Franklin also discussed his three new coordinators at length and what they mean for the team. [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] (offense), [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] (defense), and [autotag]Justin Lustig[/autotag] (special teams) are all in place to get Penn State to the next level.

“They chose Penn State just like I chose Penn State, to compete for championships,” said Franklin.

Penn State will likely look different in 2024, but Franklin repeatedly stressed on Wednesday that finding coaches who can adapt to what Penn State has already built was a significant factor. Week one at West Virginia will be the first look at how the Nittany Lions are set up to compete for a playoff spot in 2024.

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Tom Allen and D’Anton Lynn are part of a fascinating Penn State-USC storyline

When Penn State meets USC, Tom Allen and D’Anton Lynn might share stories about their recent job changes.

When Penn State and USC meet on the football field this October, they will both have new defensive coordinators. Tom Allen is the new man for the Nittany Lions, while D’Anton Lynn is the new defensive guru for the Trojans. The two men might be able to share some stories about the similarities in how they are perceived by the PSU and USC fan bases.

Penn State fans were really high on D’Anton Lynn as a possible replacement for previous defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who left the Nittany Lions to take over as the head coach at Duke. We at Trojans Wire were high on Tom Allen as a possible Alex Grinch replacement. Yet, Allen went to PSU and not USC. Lynn went to USC and not PSU. Both fan bases would have been really happy with having one of these two as defensive coordinator, but they went to the other school. This is a battle of equals at defensive coordinator.

We wrote about Allen in November, before Lincoln Riley hired Lynn at USC:

Allen is a very good defensive coordinator. He isn’t a good head coach, but if he gets USC-level talent, he will do a very good job with it. Having Big Ten knowledge is a huge plus for USC, given the school’s move into the Big Ten. If it can’t get Jim Leonhard, Tom Allen is a strong second choice. He’s going to be available. He’s not likely to be in the market for another head coaching job. USC needs to be on the phone with Allen’s agent before too long.

Penn State and USC both did as well as they reasonably could have in finding new defensive coordinators. This fall, they will measure themselves against each other. It should be a lot of fun to watch.

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New Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen poses problems for USC

Tom Allen will give Lincoln Riley all he can handle.

Tom Allen, the new defensive coordinator at Penn State, is someone we at Trojans Wire were high on when USC began its defensive coordinator search.

We wrote:

“It’s Indiana football. It’s hard for anyone to recruit well there. Allen is highly respected as a defensive mind. Even if his actual recruiting chops aren’t great, Allen takes two- and three-star players and molds them into quality defensive performers. When recruits see that Tom Allen (or maybe someone with similar credentials) is USC defensive coordinator, that itself could have a positive effect on recruiting.

“Allen could recruit USC well even without doing the recruiting personally. His reputation could change a lot of recruitments, even without paying any prospect a house call.”

Allen is an elite X-and-O coach who will give Lincoln Riley a tough challenge. On our recent USC show at The Voice of College Football, we talked to Penn State analyst Marty Leap from Happy Valley Insider on Rivals. Our Tom Allen conversation begins at 19:05 in the video below:

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Four-star CB Antonio Branch commits to Penn State

Penn State is on a roll with another four-star cornerback in the Class of 2025 with Antonio Branch.

It’s been a good week so far for Penn State on the recruiting trail after suffering a couple rough defeats in the battle for top targets in the 2025 class and beyond.

However, that’s not going to stop James Franklin and his staff from turning the page and going after others who they want to get into their program.

The run this week started with four-star cornerback from New Jersey, Jahmir Joseph, verbally committing to the Nittany Lions, and they have now landed their second commitment of the week in four-star defensive back [autotag]Antonio Branch[/autotag].

The Florida native is listed as a cornerback in his class but is likely going to become a safety at the next level as he’s already 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds heading into his senior high school season.

This is a big win for Penn State.

He took an official visit to Happy Valley the weekend of May 31 and that left enough of an impression on him to decided this was the program for him.

Branch talked about the relationships he established with the coaching staff during his process, and that became even more prevalent when he was on campus.

The four-star decided to cancel his official visit with the University of Florida when he cut his list of schools down to three, leaving Penn State to battle it out between Louisville and Nebraska.

Branch is scheduled to take an official visit to Louisville this upcoming weekend, but there is no word if that has been cancelled following his verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions.

This marks another win for Franklin and his staff down in Florida as they have really been able to land some top talent coming out of that state. The connections [autotag]Ja’Juan Seider[/autotag] and new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] have in the state should only allow them to continue recruiting that area well.

Branch’s commitment now brings Penn State’s 2025 class up to 16 players.

Elite 2026 defensive line prospect locks in Penn State visit

Penn State is already working on recruiting in the Class of 2026 with an upcoming official visit.

Penn State is entering the most important part of their recruiting calendar this month as official visit season begins and their top class of 2025 targets will come to Happy Valley as these prospects prepare to pick their college program.

There’s still a lot of work to do for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff as they sit with 13 commits and plenty of players they would like to land are still preparing to make their decisions.

But, while the 2025 class is garnering the headlines, the recruits in the class of 2026 are getting out and laying the groundwork with unofficial visits.

It’s important to create relationships and establish connections early in these processes, and the Nittany Lions have been aggressively doing so with two new coordinators in [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag].

With that in mind, it was reported by Ryan Snyder of On3 that consensus four-star 2026 defensive lineman, [autotag]Titan Davis[/autotag], will come to Happy Valley for the first time on May 18. Penn State didn’t make his early top schools list, so getting him on campus and around the coaching staff should help them get on his radar (subscription required).

Davis is a 6-foot-5, 238-pound lineman from St. Louis is listed as the No. 66 player in the 2026 class and sixth-best player at his position.

He’s only taken five visits so far, three of them to Nebraska, so hosting the talented prospect this weekend while other elite players in the class are also scheduled to take a trip will be huge for Penn State.

[autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] has hit the recruiting trail hard since taking over as defensive line coach in 2023, but he’ll continue to get the opportunity to start recruiting players from scratch and landing Davis would certainly be a huge win.

Penn State getting visit from five-star LB ahead of commitment date

Penn State would love to secure a commitment from this five-star linebacker.

There is a lot of work left to do for Penn State in their class of 2025.

After starting off being ranked in the Top 10 during early rankings, they now sit 17th in On3’s latest update.

One thing that would go a long way to boosting their overall profile is landing one of the best players still available in the class.

They have that opportunity with linebacker [autotag]Zayden Walker[/autotag] set to visit Happy Valley this summer as he will announce his commitment after taking his scheduled official visits.

The Georgia native is rated as a five-star and the No. 9 overall player according to 247Sports.

His official commitment date is July 5.

Walker has set that date as a way to go on his official visits and have time to come back home and think about his decision before ultimately announcing which college he’ll play for going forward.

Greg Pickel of On3 shares that these visits are going to be a major deciding factor in where he commits. He is searching for strong relationships and a program that allows him to play and develops him. The good news is he’s a fan of new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag]. The bad news is Walker already hinted that Georgia and South Carolina have an edge over the Nittany Lions (subscription required).

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine reflects that as Georgia are huge favorites to land him with a 74.1% chance.

But, with the 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker taking his official visit to Penn State starting June 7, there is still a chance they can land the five-star.

Walker said he’s never been to Happy Valley before but has liked the way he’s been recruited and is looking forward to seeing what campus has to offer.

Penn State’s young linebacker continues to get buzz after spring practices

Tony Rojas is preparing to take off at linebacker for Penn State in 2024.

There might not be a single player on the roster that Penn State fans are more excited to see get a bump in playing time than [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag].

The four-star linebacker out of high school was able to avoid redshirting his freshman season last year and appeared in all 13 games on defense and special teams, recording 21 tackles, 3.5 for loss, with a forced fumble and interception.

Much of that came from him bulking up during the summer and flashing in practice prior to last season.

Now, with [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] moving to defense end, it’s expected that Rojas will fill into the starting linebacker role and become an elite player for the Nittany Lions.

Tyler Donohue of 247Sports said that will likely be the case after the sophomore put together another impressive spring. Coaches told him that they’re confident he will be able to handle the increased responsibilities and he’ll be able to perform from the opening snap (subscription required).

If the Blue-White Game was any preview of what is to come, he paired with [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] as the starting linebackers for Team White.

Rojas also admitted to “overthinking things” when he was a freshman, but is feeling much more confident in his second season.

Donohue notes that he has already started gelling with new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] and that the young linebacker was able to read-and-react at a high level, making him look like a future star at his position.

At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, he certainly has the body type that should allow him to be the starting linebacker and sustain being on the field against Big Ten competition.