Tom Allen explains why he jumped straight back into coaching after Indiana departure

Tom Allen had a short stint on the employment line with Penn State picking him up as their defensive coordinator after seven seasons as head coach at Indiana. Still, it came to a surprise as some considering Allen could have very easily taken his time before getting back on the sidelines.

As Allen said, though, you can’t plan for this sort of thing. All you can do is handle it when it comes your way like this job in University Park did.

“Well, you don’t control the clock, the timing of things,” Allen said during his introductory press conference this past week. “You respond as most things you do in life.”

Allen continued by explaining that, at the end of the day, he’s a coach at heart. That’s why, when a coach like James Franklin and a program such as Penn State came calling, he couldn’t turn them away.

“I think, for me? I’m a football coach. Just love what I do. This opportunity that presented itself in this timeframe was one that I immediately had interest in,” said Allen. “Obviously, a chance to go further into that, coach, and go through the process. For me? I really expected to get back into it once things happened as they did. Probably a little quicker than expected but, once again, that’s the part you don’t control.”

“I just really have so much respect for this program playing them for eight straight years in our division. And, obviously, getting to know Coach Franklin, what he has built here, the way he does things,” Allen said.

Allen will step into the place that Manny Diaz left after taking the head coaching job at Duke this month.

After 32 seasons on the job, Allen’s next opportunity will again come in the Big Ten as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Nittany Lions. He had spent the previous eight in Bloomington with one as defensive coordinator and the next seven as the program’s leader.

In total, the Hoosiers went 39-55 with him on staff, including a 33-48 record as head coach. They allowed an average of 28 points per game for a usual finish inside the Top-75. The past three seasons were not nearly as good, though, as they allowed over 32 points and finished outside the Top-100 in all three.

Again, at this moment of his life and career, Allen could have decided to be patient and take some time off from the profession and jumping back in later on. However, once Penn State came calling, he knew he had to jump at the chance that they were providing him.

“I’m just super excited about that,” said Allen. “That’s why, when it came, the opportunity presented itself? We went after it.”