Penn State removes Tom and Thomas Allen from staff directory as they prep for move to Clemson
Penn State football has officially removed defensive coordinator Tom Allen and his son, Thomas, from official website and staff directory. Allen is expected to become the next defensive coordinator at Clemson. The school’s Board of Trustees compensation committee meets at 3 pm tomorrow to discuss a contract for a football coach. It does not name Allen. But, he is expected to be the coach whose contract is approved. Thomas Allen is also going to the ACC school. He will be an analyst there as he was for the Nittany Lions.
It all means Penn State will have its fourth different defensive coordinator in five seasons. Tom Allen replaced Manny Diaz, who left after two seasons in State College. Before Diaz, Brent Pry oversaw the defense for a number of seasons before leaving for Virginia Tech. Unlike Pry and Diaz, Allen is not returning to a head coaching role but instead is making a lateral move, at best. It could be seen as a step down. But, per ESPN and Blue-White Illustrated, family connections at least played a part in his decision to move on.
For Allen, BWI’s understanding is that the interest and appeal of the Clemson job was heavily influenced both by family and geography,” BWI’s Nate Bauer writes.
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“Father to two daughters and a son, Allen works with his son Thomas on Penn State’s staff as an analyst. That relationship would be expected to continue into the position with the Tigers. However, a factor of importance to Allen and his wife Tracy in the decision is the opportunity to live closer to both adult daughters who reside in the region.”
Penn State will immediately start looking for Allen’s replacement
While Allen may not officially leave Penn State for Clemson until Tuesday, you can guarantee that the Lions are not waiting until then to start figuring out his replacement. Internal candidates include safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, cornerbacks coach Terry Smith, and analysts Robb Smith and Dan Connor. The list of external options could be limitless. Franklin will indeed try to find someone similar to the coaches who came before Allen to continue leading what has been one of the nation’s bear statistical units over the last decade.
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