Tom Allen points to family as main reason to leave Penn State for Clemson

Tom Allen understands some of the questions surrounding his decision to leave Penn State after one highly-successful season to take a seemingly lateral move as Clemson‘s new defensive coordinator.

Still, for the 54-year-old Allen, the decision ultimately came down to what was best for his family, specifically his wife, Tracy. By joining the Tigers’ staff, the Allens are now within a short drive of their two grown daughters, Brittany and Hannah, who live in South and North Carolina, respectively, with their own growing families.

“Yeah, it was totally unexpected to be honest with you. I know not everybody’s going to understand it, and I respect that. But what I said earlier was really the bottom line: it’s about my family,” Allen said during his introductory press conference Jan. 15. “And the timing of it all, when you do this as long as I have, and you get to the point where you’ve had some great opportunities and experiences, you care about having your family as close as you can. And sometimes that’s not even possible. So, for my wife to be able to see her grandchildren on a consistent basis, you can’t replace that.”

Allen revealed how pursuing his collegiate career ultimately took a significant toll on his family, including his wife and children, who moved to seven states over the decade between when he left Ben Davis (Indiana) High School in 2006 and was hired as Indiana’s defensive coordinator in 2016. Allen would serve as the Hoosiers’ head coach from 2017-2023 before being fired and subsequently landing in Happy Valley ahead of last season.

Tom Allen’s wife, Tracy, ‘the superstar in this whole thing’

“That was 10 years, and we lived in seven states over those 10 years. A lot of moves. And that’s on my wife, she’s the superstar in this whole thing, she’s been amazing. I just appreciate her so much, because, yeah, I was chasing after this dream that she said became their dream and our dream as a family, and that’s when everything started to change,” Allen continued. “There was a time when I wasn’t sure this was going to be good for them, and I almost went back to high school. I’m glad we didn’t, but … (my family) went through all that, all of them went to multiple elementary schools, all of them went to multiple middle schools. None of them went to one high school, they all went to at least two high schools. And that’s tough. So, to have a chance to be together now, man, I couldn’t pass it up.”

Allen then acknowledged the impact longtime Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had on his decision to leave Penn State after just one season.

“People that know me well, weren’t surprised, I’ll just say that. They weren’t surprised that my family was something that I really put at a high priority here,” Allen concluded. “Some (ask) ‘why would you leave after a year when we had such a great season?’ (Penn State is) going to have another great season, I believe that. They’re going to. And I wish them nothing but great things.

“But for me personally, this was about my family. I’m really excited to be here and thankful my wife gets to have a chance to have the whole crew together for however long that may be, the good Lord is in charge of that. I just want to be faithful to her in that time.”