Reports: Penn State hiring former Indiana coach Tom Allen to be next defensive coordinator
Former Indiana football coach Tom Allen is finalizing a deal with Penn State to become the team's next defensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.
The Nittany Lions were in the market for a new defensive coordinator after Manny Diaz was hired as Duke's new head coach.
Allen, who will be the team's third defensive coordinator in as many years, was fired the morning after the 2023 season ended. He was 33-49 (18-43 Big Ten) in seven seasons with the program, but the program had struggled in recent years to regain the momentum it had after making consecutive bowl appearances from 2019-20.
Indiana was one of only four Power Five programs with fewer than 10 wins since 2021 (Vanderbilt, Colorado and Stanford) and it went 3-25 in the conference over the last three seasons.
Under Big Ten's new scheduling model, Indiana could face off against Allen in 2025 at State College. The team's are also set to play at Memorial Stadium in 2027 and at PSU again in 2028.
Allen negotiated a reduced buyout with the school of $15.5 million, but his new deal won't impact that number. The reworked buyout removed the offset clause that would have reduced the buyout if Allen was hired elsewhere.
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"It has been my greatest professional honor to serve as Indiana’s head football coach for the past seven years," Allen said, in a statement he put out on Nov. 26. "Representing this University and this State has meant more to me than you can imagine. Our entire journey here has been based on a simple concept – Love. Each. Other. It’s what we’ve done, it’s what we’ll always do. I continue to believe it’s a recipe to change the world.
"There have been so many incredible memories made and relationships formed. I’ll always be grateful for the players, coaches and staff who believed in our vision and gave their heart and soul for this program."
While Indiana's defense struggled in recent seasons, the improvement Indiana made when Allen took over as the team's coordinator in 2016 helped earn him a promotion the following year. He transformed a defense that ranked No. 121 out of 128 teams in total defense (509.5 yards allowed) and No. 117 in scoring (37.6) to a group that finished in the top half of the FBS.
Allen also spent time as the defensive coordinator at South Florida and worked Hugh Freeze's linebackers coach at Ole Miss from 2012-14.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Penn State hiring ex-IU coach Tom Allen as new defensive coordinator
