Penn State creates player-first environment in defensive rebuild
Entering his fourth season at Penn State in 2024, linebacker Dom DeLuca has the hang of things. A coordinator change on the defensive side of the ball, the second such occasion in his time as a Nittany Lion, hasn’t changed that.
Acclimating to Tom Allen and the new approach of the former Indiana head coach, DeLuca explained as much when meeting with reporters this week.
“It hasn’t been too different. Just learning the new defensive coordinator’s lingo,” he said, “and just the way he is as a person and how he talks. Just learning the new verbiage from him.
“That’s the only big turnaround from Coach Diaz to Coach Allen. All defenses are usually the same. It’s usually just called differently, called different names. So that’s the big term for us. We’re all learning it very well. We all picked it up fast. So it was no problem for us.”
Penn State sets spring priorities
Maintaining seven projected starters from the nation’s No. 2-ranked total defense from the 2023 season, the Nittany Lions have largely affirmed an “in-stride” approach to the changes this spring.
Determined to keep up numbers that left the outfit with the No. 1-ranked rushing defense at just 75.5 yards per game allowed on the ground, and No. 3 in scoring defense at 13.5 points per game, Penn State’s players have not been without help. Rather, with Allen taking the approach that his Nittany Lions can play fast and confidently by understanding the why behind the scheme being implemented, the message has resonated early in his tenure with the program.
“Coach Allen simplifies everything. He tries to make sure you know why you’re doing everything. And I feel like that’s a really big emphasis for him,” said DeLuca. “He always tries to do that. Make sure we understand everything that goes on in the defense.
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“Coach Diaz did the same thing as well. Coach Allen is just doing it a different way. And he’s more personal with us and having talks. Even just the way he is every day, he’s always positive, always has a positive attitude, and always wants the best for us.”
Next steps
Allen has ensured as much by taking a personal approach to the process this spring. Working intently to produce a productive and disruptive defense by investing in the players who will be called upon to execute it, the philosophy has taken on new meaning for the Nittany Lions.
“It’s about relationships. You have to build trust. And it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. And you guys spend time with it,” said Allen. “I believe it’s a huge part of my coaching philosophy. And I believe when the players know you care about it way more as a person than as a player, I think things can go to a higher level for them on the field as well as off the field.
“I believe in that and that’s one thing I do feel like, by not having all the head coaching responsibilities, I have more time to do that. And I want to do that, and I will do that. There’s no question that I think that when you can capture the hearts and minds of a player, of a young man, I think you can help them become special on and off the field. That’s what I want to do.”
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