Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen up for Broyles Award: Newsstand

Penn State news, notes, and updates for Nov. 27 include Tom Allen being one of the top assistant coach in college football, headlines of the day, and more. It’s time to dive into Wednesday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college athletics.

Penn State tweets of the day

Sixty-five college football assistant coaches are up for the honor that goes to the nation’s best non-head coach each year. First-year Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Tom Allen is one of them. He is now in the running to be a semifinalist for the Broyles Award. That list will come out later this year. The winner will get his honor in February in Hot Springs, Ark. Penn State has never had a finalist for the award. Its only semifinalist in program history is former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who made that list in both 2022 and 2023. Allen took over for Diaz this offseason and the Lions’ defense had hardly missed a beat despite beating without star safety Kevin Winston Jr., for almost the entire season.

“I think what happens sometimes is, I don’t care what profession you’re in, depending on who you follow plays a role in how you’re perceived,” Lions head coach James Franklin said last week. “He follows Manny Diaz. And, we had one of the top defenses in the country. So, you come in here, and I think defensively we were ranked anywhere between 2, 3, or 4, so unless you’re one, it doesn’t feel like you got a whole lot better.

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“But, I think he’s done a really good job of coming in here and adapting. We have one of the best defenses in the country. I think our defense is our highest rated unit. And, no one’s talking about it. I think he’s done a really good job of, he’s been a head coach for a long time, and getting back into the defensive coordinator role, and the staff and team has been great. Holding onto a lot of things we’ve been doing and then putting his own stamp on it. He probably had the toughest follow. Give him a ton of credit. Very different personality and approach. But, I think he’s doing a great job, and our whole defensive staff is.”

Coach Allen is a @BroylesAward Nominee for Best Assistant Coach in College Football 🏆#WeAre x @CoachAllenPSU pic.twitter.com/P07bP2sbVU

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) November 26, 2024

Headlines of the day

James Franklin on a Penn State third-year player’s 2024 breakout: ‘He loves, not likes football’: Flounders, PennLive

Tyler Warren’s perfect late-game execution creates conflicting CFP dynamic for Penn State: Bauer, BWI

Penn State’s Nick Dawkins Honored for His Commitment to Service: Wogenrich, SI

Inside The Den: Penn State Flip threats and targets before National Signing Day: Carr, BWI

Penn State’s Tyler Warren Could’ve Broken a Record. Instead, He Won the Game: Engle, Statecollege.com

What did Maryland coach Mike Locksley say about Penn State, and his QB situation, on Tuesday?: Pickel, BWI

Transfer portal preview: Biggest spenders, quarterback market and impact of revenue sharing: Nakos, On3

Quote of the day

“Obviously, I go way back with James, very familiar with him as a person, and always enjoy competing against him and his team. Everyone in our building has a lot of respect for their team, a lot of strong relationships, obviously, from guys playing against each other, working together. They’re extremely balanced in what they do. Good defense. Tom Allen, the former head coach, is over there, taking over from Manny [Diaz]. They’ve done a good job. They’ve been number two in scoring defense, top five in scoring offense, and really impressed with the way they finished a couple of games this year.

“You look back and see the USC game and then you see the game against Minnesota, they’ve really been battle tested, and some really tough, close games. And for us, you know, what? What a great way to finish our ‘24 season is to go up there and compete against a playoff caliber team to really kind of see where we measure up. I expect our guys to compete. We tend to play up. Which, I hate. And, that’s one of the consistencies that we got to get fixed. But I expect us to.”

—Maryland coach Mike Locksley to reporters on Tuesday ahead of his team’s trip to PSU.