Tom Allen became Dabo Swinney's fourth defensive coordinator hire. Allen explained Wednesday why he left Penn State after one season.

Though the Allen children are grown now, during their formative years, Dad moved the family from Indiana to Tennessee to Iowa to Mississippi to Florida and back to Indiana as he climbed the ladder from high school head coach to Big Ten defensive coordinator over an 11-year period from 2006-16.

CLEMSON, S.C. — Head Coach Dabo Swinney and Clemson Football announced today that Clemson has hired Tom Allen as Defensive Coordinator. The hire was finalized Tuesday by the Clemson University Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.

Penn State has officially lost its defensive coordinator. Tom Allen, after one just season with the Nittany Lions, was formally named Clemson’s new defensive coordinator on Tuesday afternoon.

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen has agreed to take the same position at Clemson, the school announced on Tuesday. Allen, who just finished his first season as Penn State's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach,

Clemson has hired Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen for the same role with the Tigers. The move was finalized Tuesday by the school’s Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.

Allen replaced Manny Diaz as Penn State's defensive coordinator after Diaz became the head coach at Duke. PSU’s defense was one of the best in college football in 2024 and allowed as many yards per play overall as Clemson did per rushing attempt. Opposing offenses averaged just 3.1 yards a carry against the Nittany Lions.

This guy,” Swinney said Wednesday, grinning toward Tom Allen, the former Indiana head coach and Penn State defensive coordinator who was officially hired as the Tigers’ next defensive coordinator on Tuesday.

Tom Allen left Penn State like a thief in the night. PSU linebacker Kobe King threw shade at the former Nittany Lion DC by not thanking him in his post when declaring for the NFL Draft.