It might seem odd to see a defensive coordinator for a team that reached the College Football Playoff semifinals to take a new job.

Dabo Swinney’s philosophy is “Big people beat little people.” Translation. Swinney wants to dominate the lines of scrimmage, which is what drew him to former Penn

Haines was a finalist for the Broyles Award (top assistant) in 2024 and a semifinalist for the award in 2023. During Allen’s one season in State College, Penn State, the Lions finished No. 7 in FBS in total defense (294.8), No. 8 in scoring defense (16.5) and No. 9 in rushing defense (101.9).

The Clemson Tigers have been very busy this offseason trying to make the improvements necessary to help this team win a national championship next year. It was a strong campaign for the Tigers in 2024.

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.

The Clemson Tigers shook the college football world this week with the announcement of their new defensive coordinator being hired from one of the best units in the country. Clemson made things official on Tuesday with former Indiana Hoosiers head coach and Penn State Nittany Lions defensive architect Tom Allen to take over the Tigers defense and replace the fired Wes Goodwin.

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.

As Franklin said before hiring Allen last year, Penn State's defense is not in rebuild mode. The program is about winning now, which the returns of Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki have foreshadowed. Franklin is chasing hardware next season, and the defensive coordinator hire will reflect that.

Tom Allen is another well-paid hire for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney's staff, which includes assistants Garrett Riley, Matt Luke, Chris Rumph, and Nick Eason.