Tag: Tom Allen

Penn State gets another addition with Florida transfer cornerback

Penn State adds defensive back from SEC school out of transfer portal.

Penn State has things absolutely rolling in the transfer portal during the early cycle.

Wide receiver was the biggest need they had to address and they were able to land [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag]. Then two players from Wisconsin decided to come to Happy Valley with offensive tackle [autotag]Nolan Rucci[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Jordan Mayer[/autotag] transferring to Penn State.

The good news continued to come when former five-star cornerback and Georgia Bulldog, [autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag], committed to the Nittany Lions.

Now, [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has landed another defensive piece by getting Florida cornerback transfer [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] to flip his commitment from Louisville to Penn State on Thursday.

The 6’0″ 185-pound corner initially enrolled at Georgia coming out of high school as a four-star rated prospect and the No. 105 player in the 2020 class.

He then transferred to Florida in 2022 and spent two seasons there, playing in 25 games and recording 36 tackles with one interception.

Kimber will spend his final year of eligibility with Penn State and could become an immediate starter with only one upperclassman in the cornerback room.

Initially, it looked like he was headed to Louisville after he committed to them early on in his process without ever visiting their campus.

Kimber still decided to see Penn State and that’s where his thought process started to change after meeting with the coaching staff and developing a relationship with cornerbacks coach [autotag]Terry Smith[/autotag].

The next steps will move quickly for the Nittany Lions.

Greg Pickel of BlueWhiteIlustrated reports, “Kimber is likely to enroll for the spring semester and start classes next week. That, of course, will allow him to participate in spring practice.”

Getting him involved in spring practices will be an important step to ensuring he can be a starter on this team heading into next season as he’ll get a full offseason of work with new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag].

It’s been a great transfer season so far for Penn State and it doesn’t seem like they are done adding yet.

Michael Penix Jr. raves about Penn State’s new DC at CFP National Championship media day

Michael Penix Jr. raves about Tom Allen at CFP National Championship Media Day.

The College Football Playoff National Championship game kicks off Monday night from Houston’s NRG Stadium, but before then, we had media day throughout the day on Saturday.

Both head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Kalen DeBoer spoke to the media and players from both Michigan and Washington, respectively. When Huskies’ star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. took the podium, he was asked about his path to the title game, and one man in particular stood out: [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag].

The newly hired Penn State defensive coordinator and ex-Indiana Hoosiers head coach recruited Penix to Bloomington. He believed in the future Heisman runner-up after Tennessee’s new staff under Jeremy Pruitt didn’t see a future with Penix. Although Penix’s career in Indiana was riddled with several season-ending injuries, there was no love lost between Penix and his former head coach.

“He’s a great coach. He’s a coach that it’s easy to love him because of the guy he is, the person he is. I feel like he cares about his players. He cares about the person more than the player. I feel like he’s a guy that will definitely do great things at Penn State (as DC). He’s going to bring great leadership. He’s going to bring great energy, intensity each & every day. He was always the same guy every day & always had that same energy, same spark, trying to help the team be better in any way that he could. I feel like they’re definitely getting a good coach” – via @Brett_McMurphy

Now preparing to start his final collegiate game in the National Championship, Penix will get the chance to go out with a bang if he can deliver a title for the Huskies. Allen is a big reason why he is in this position. After all, he is the one who hired Kalen DeBoer, his offensive coordinator, to work with Penix in 2019.

It sure sounds like [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] made a homerun hire with Allen as his new defensive coordinator. Former players raving about their coaches is always a good sign, and Penix’s quote sure makes it seem that Penn State has a tremendous leader to coach its defense.

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Hakeem Beamon announces return for 2024

The Penn State defensive line will get a nice boost with the return of this key player in 2024.

Following in the footsteps of fellow defensive tackle [autotag]Dvon Ellies[/autotag], a simple post on social media was all it took for defensive tackle [autotag]Hakeem Beamon[/autotag] to announce his plans for the 2024 season. Just as Ellies did yesterday, Beamon is committed to another year along Penn State’s defensive front.

Beamon announced his plans on X (formerly known as Twitter) to return for his sixth season in State College. Both Beamon and Ellies were granted a sixth year of eligibility due to the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Beamon was a mainstay on the interior of Penn State’s defensive line, playing in all 13 games in each of the past two seasons. This year, Beamon contributed 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss. Along with Ellies, Beamon will make the life of new defensive coordinator Tom Allen a lot easier when building his defense next season.

Both of these returning players come as a bit of a surprise for Penn State, but a great surprise nonetheless.

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Tom Allen ‘fired up’ to be Penn State’s defensive coordinator

It sounds like Tom Allen is really looking forward to his role as Penn State’s defensive coordinator.

The past two defensive coordinators that Penn State has employed have gone on to become head coaches at other programs.

That’s the reality for top programs across the country who see a particular side of the ball have success.

Assistants get poached.

Just look at what Alabama’s coach Nick Saban has had to deal with throughout his tenure while continuing to dominate college football.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has found himself in a similar predicament after Brent Pry left to become the head coach at Virginia Tech in 2021 and [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] just departed to take over the head job at Duke.

Coach Franklin went a similar route that he took when hiring Diaz. He gave the job to a coach who was just fired from his head job at a previous school.

[autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] immediately will jump into his defensive coordinator role with the Nittany Lions after serving as Indiana’s head coach from 2017-23.

But he’s not looking at this opportunity to springboard to another job in the future. He made that abundantly clear at his introductory press conference after officially being introduced as the next DC of the program.

“I’m not coming here for that purpose, I’ll tell you that. I’m coming here to be defensive coordinator. I’m 53 years old. I’ve had some great opportunities. I am so fired up to be in this position at this place,” he said.

Before getting the head job at Indiana, Allen was the Hoosiers’ defensive coordinator in 2016 after coming from the same position at South Florida in 2015. Prior to that, he was last a DC at Ben Davis High School in Indiana before taking over the head coaching role and then moving to the college ranks.

“I think about that role, I feel like I’ve grown so much since the last time I was a defensive coordinator only and not the head coach and want to use that to really allow me to be a better defensive coordinator, a better, a better assistant,” Allen added.

Franklin stated that he is looking for a leader of the defense, something that Diaz was able to do during his short tenure. He, no doubt, thinks Allen will bring a similar style after landing on him following the interview process.

“I feel like I’m gonna be a much better assistant, a much better leader of the defense, and I’m very excited about that role and can’t wait to be able to have that as my focus and not the 10,000 other things that you have to do when you’re head coach,” Allen said at his press conference.

He’ll be taking over an elite unit and talent that he has not had the opportunity to work with during his coaching career. With his focus solely on running the defense, Allen will look to continue keeping Penn State’s defense one of the best in the country.

How new Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s defenses have ranked since 2015

Take a look at the defensive ranks under Penn State’s new defensive coordinator, Tom Allen.

When Penn State lost defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to a head coaching opportunity with Duke, James Franklin didn’t really have to look very far to find his replacement. And as he did with the addition of Diaz, Franklin found a new defensive coordinator with head coaching experience with former Indiana head coach [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag].

Allen comes to Penn State after a couple of tough seasons in Bloomington as the Hoosiers were hit hard by transfers and the stats trended in the wrong direction. But Allen’s flair for strong defense was easy to keep on the radar for Franklin. Dating back to his one season as a defensive coordinator for South Florida and his time at Indiana as a defensive coordinator and head coach, it was clear that Allen had a way with the defense despite not exactly having the deep talent pool a program like Penn State typically has to work with.

So how exactly have Allen’s defenses stacked up over the years? Here is a look at where Allen’s defenses have ranked in a few notable categories including total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, and passing defense since 2015. We also included Penn State’s total defense ranking in each of those seasons for the sake of comparison.

Penn State officially names Tom Allen its defensive coordinator and linebackers coach

Penn State officially announces the hiring of Tom Allen as defensive coordinator

Penn State has officially filled its defensive coordinator position by formally announcing the hiring of [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag]. Allen comes to Happy Valley after spending the last seven seasons as the head coach at Indiana.

“I have always had a ton of respect for Tom Allen, and we are excited to welcome him to our staff,” Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] said in a statement. “I’ve enjoyed following his coaching career and his experience as a head coach and defensive play caller will bring tremendous value to our program. Coach Allen has led aggressive, attacking-style defenses that will complement what we have already established.”

Allen joined the Hoosiers coaching staff in 2016 and turned around one of the worst defenses in the nation into a formidable unit. Before his time in Bloomington, Allen served successful spells as an assistant under now-Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze. Allen worked under Freeze at Arkansas State and Ole Miss, where he led the Rebels’ linebackers, a position he will also hold at Penn State.

“I am thrilled for this opportunity with Penn State Football and want to thank Coach Franklin and Dr. Kraft for believing in me,” said Allen. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Franklin and having been across the sidelines from him, I’ve seen what he is building here. To be trusted to join this storied program has me fired up, and I can’t wait to get to work alongside this coaching staff, these student-athletes and to immerse myself in the Happy Valley community.”

At Indiana, Allen was known for turning around bad defensive units, but his job at Penn State will be to keep one of the nation’s top groups at the same level. In his eight-year tenure with the Hoosiers, IU’s defenses were known for getting off the field on third downs, ranking in the top five in the Big Ten on third down in five seasons and in the top 15 nationally twice. The Hoosiers ranked sixth in the conference in third-down defense (36.6%) during the eight-year span.

Tom Allen, being a household defensive name to replace another respected defensive mind in Manny Diaz, is just what James Franklin was looking for to avoid any dropoff from one of the nation’s best units.

BREAKING: Former Indiana head coach Tom Allen set to become Penn State’s defensive coordinator, per report

BREAKING: Penn State finalizing a deal with Tom Allen to replace Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has zeroed in on another former head coach to run his defense just as he did when he hired Manny Diaz from Miami. This time, it is a familiar Big Ten foe.

Early Sunday afternoon, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Franklin and Penn State are finalizing a deal with former Indiana head coach [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag]. Allen and Indiana parted ways after the 2023 season after the Hoosiers went 3-9. Allen concluded his tenure in Bloomington with a 33-49 record.

The 2020 Big Ten coach of the year always seemed like a name that fits what Penn State was trying to achieve with its defense. With Diaz leaving for the head coaching position at Duke, another defensive head coach with a lot of experience always seemed like a likely option for Franklin and Penn State.

Allen runs a 4-2-5 defensive, which places a heavy emphasis on the defensive line, which should be a strength of next year’s team. His Indiana team played Penn State tough this year, with the Nittany Lions eventually pulling away for a 33-24 win.

The Penn State defense coordinator position is becoming a great sport for former head coaches looking to revitalize their careers before receiving another head coaching gig. Allen will take over arguably college football’s best defense, and one was third nationally in scoring defense (11.4 points per game) and first in yards per game (223.3 yards per game).

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2023-2024 College Football Coaching Carousel

Texas A&M hires Duke’s Mike Elko as the coaching carousel continues to spin.

The end of the college football season is here and the coaching carousel is once again getting fired up. This season saw two early head coaching changes within the Big Ten to get an early jump on things, but more coaching changes are popping up as we close in on the end of another regular season around the nation.

We’ll keep track of all of the head coaching changes in our updated coaching carousel tracker to see what head coaches are out and who is replacing them. This will be updated daily as needed with the latest head coaching changes as jobs open up and are filled. As is so often the case in college football, one coaching vacancy being filled will lead to another opening popping up as a result.

As of Thursday, Dec. 8 there are 2 head coaching vacancies in college football, including 1 power conference job to fill. A total of 19 head coaching changes have been made this year.

Below is the updated chart for this year’s edition of the head coaching carousel in college football. After that is a bit more detail on each job opening, listed in alphabetical order.

Tom Allen fired by Indiana, enters open market as USC defensive coordinator candidate

No Dave Aranda, so Tom Allen moves up the big board (but not above Jim Leonhard) for #USC.

The firings across college football kicked up rapidly on Sunday, just after the regular season came to a finish.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen was fired after another disappointing year even with his $20 million buyout, which was negotiated down to $15.5 million. Of course, the USC Trojans are in the market for a defensive coordinator after they finally moved on from Alex Grinch. It only makes sense that a name such as Allen would be a favorite in the search.

After Allen’s firing, it didn’t take long for USC fans to put out their feelings about Tom Allen potentially being the replacement for Grinch, and here’s how fans feel about it:

Indiana fires Tom Allen as head coach, per report

After another tough seaosn in Bloomington, Indiana has reportedly fired Tom Allen as head coach.

Following a disappointing 2023 season, Indiana has become the third Big Ten school to make a coaching change this year. Indiana has reportedly made the decision to cut ties with head coach Tom Allen.

According to The Indy Star, Allen has a buyout of at least $20 million for the next four years. Despite the heavy price tag, one which is a major cost for the Hoosiers, it was clear the program was in need of a jumpstart and a change in momentum as it relates to the win totals.

Allen will end his run as Indiana head coach with a record of 33-49 and 18-43 in Big Ten play. The high mark for Indiana came in 2019 with an 8-5 record and a 6-2 record in the COVID-adjusted 2020 season with a record of 6-2 and a final ranking of no. 11 in the final College Football Playoff rankings. But things went south quickly for the Hoosiers following the 2020 season with a 2-10 record in 2021, a 4-8 record in 2022, and then a 3-9 record in 2023.

Allen took over as head coach of the Indiana program following the resignation of Kevin Wilson as head coach in 2016 amid allegations of mistreatment of players.

The search for a new head coach at Indiana is now underway, and one of the names thrown out as a potential candidate by The Indy Star is former James Franklin assistant [autotag]Charles Huff[/autotag], now the head coach at Marshall.

[lawrence-related id=38173,38904,38826]

“Huff’s bonafides as both a recruiter and developer of talented players was built across stops with Maryland, Penn State, Mississippi State, Alabama and the Buffalo Bills, among others, and at just 40, he’s got an age profile that might appeal to Indiana,” writes Zach Osterman of The Indy Star.

Northwestern was the first Big Ten team to make a coaching change this year with the preseason firing of Pat Fitzgerald amid allegations of hazing within the football program under his watch. The Wildcats have since removed the interim tag on David Braun after Braun guided the Wildcats to a 7-win season and a bowl berth.

Michigan State was the second Big Ten school to make a coaching change with the firing of Mel Tucker in the first month of the season, also amid allegations of improper conduct with allegations of sexual harassment of a sexual abuse awareness advocate. Michigan State hired Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith a day after the conclusion of the regular season.

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