James Franklin evaluates the value of having Tom Allen's head coaching experience on staff

James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions had another excellent season in the 2023 campaign, finishing 10-3 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten Conference. They featured one of the best defenses in the conference and this year should be no different, with Tom Allen running the show as their new defensive coordinator.

On Thursday evening on the Andy Staples Show, Staples spoke with head coach James Franklin about the value of Allen having previous head coaching experience.

“I think the first thing is, you know, my last three defensive coordinators have all had top 10 defenses,” Franklin began. “So, they deserve a ton of credit. But I think also, how we operate the system we run helps. So, same thing with Tom. Are you comfortable with that? The head coaching experience is important and different than Manny. He’s got head coaching experience in this conference with similar opponents/

“Obviously, the four new opponents change things a little bit but I think that experience is really, really valuable. As you probably know, he’s a great human being as well. And he’s in it for the right reasons. As a relational leader. Kids love him. And he’s really just embraced his role. And I think he’s really happy to say, listen, you take care of all of that stuff. I didn’t like doing it for the last seven years anyway. Let me get back to coaching ball.”

The Penn State head coach said that plenty of coaches have questioned all the different responsibilities they’ve had on their plate with the changes with the transfer portal and NIL.

“Well I think that the changes in the game have had a lot of people question that. Because you get removed further and further away from why you got into this profession in the first place,” Franklin explained. “We’ve seen it. There’s other examples of that. But Tom’s in a position where I just think he’s like, ‘Listen, I did it for seven years, I enjoyed it. Had a great experience. But now, I’m back to doing what I love and why I was put on this Earth.”

Tom Allen was the head coach for the Indiana Hoosiers from 2017-2023. In 2020, he was named the AFCA National Coach of the Year after he guided the Hoosiers to a 6-2 record and 6-1 mark in Big Ten play that year. That same season, he had defensive back Tiawan Mullen named first team All-American. That Indiana team managed to finish ranked as the No. 12 team in the country according to the Associated Press, the highest end-of-year ranking for the program since 1967.

While at Indiana, he spent time with some of the most gifted coaches in the country, including current Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer and Crimson Tide defensive coordinator, Kane Wommack.

In leading the Penn State defense, Allen will have his hands full to meet an extremely high standard. Last season, the Nittany Lions had the nation’s No. 3 ranked scoring defense, the nation’s top ranked rush defense, and the nation’s seventh ranked pass defense. Luckily for Allen there is plenty of talent returning to Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions boast a Top 10 defensive line unit and a Top 10 linebacker unit, according to Pro Football Focus. And they return one of the nation’s top safeties in Kevin Winston, Jr.

Penn State will begin their 2024 campaign on Saturday, Aug. 31. They’ll face off against the West Virginia Mountaineers, and their gifted quarterback-running back tandem of Garrett Greene and CJ Donaldson.