Why did James Franklin pick Tom Allen to be the next Penn State defensive coordinator?

Penn State picked the fourth defensive coordinator of the James Franklin era on Tuesday. It is former Indiana head coach Tom Allen. The 53-year-old spent the last eight seasons with the Hoosiers. He was the defensive coordinator in 2016. Then, he took the head job and ran with it from 2017-2023. The New Castle, Ind., native was fired back in November. He agreed to a buyout north of $15 million dollars. Allen could have sat out the 2024 season. Instead, he chose to answer Franklin’s call and ultimately become the program’s replacement for Manny Diaz, who left the Lions for the top job at Duke.

Why was Allen the Penn State pick? Franklin was asked about evaluating Allen despite the fact that he has not been just a defensive coordinator since 2016 and why it led to hiring him.

“First of all, I think the combination of being a defensive coordinator and a highly successful one, when he was the defensive coordinator at Indiana, they were the most improved defense in the country,” Franklin said. “That was telling. When you become the head coach, some guys get pulled in so many different directions that you’re not really having the impact you’d like to have. And that’s natural when this job requires you to be a CEO. There are some guys who have been able to be the head coach and offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator. But, not many.

More: 3 things to know about new Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen

“When you get with Tom and start talking ball, is he one of these guys that’s been removed from some of those things and is rusty from being away? That was really apparent very early on to me. As well as our staff. This is a football guy who is still heavily involved in what’s going on from a scheme and fundamental perspective. That was obvious.”

“If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t be sitting here talking about Tom Allen. I’m looking for a leader of the defense. That leadership is not only the staff and the players and the fundamentals and the schemes, it’s all those things that are going to allow us to play really good defense, which we’ve done for a really long time.

“I wanted Tom very comfortable with what he was signing up for, I wanted to be comfortable for what I was signing up for. And a lot of times, it has to go so fast because of your situation, because of recruiting, but then also, if the guy has a current job. That plays a part in it as well. This was kind of unusual, too, because he was out of a job, and it allowed us to really take our time on both ends.”

Allen has a long history of success

Allen has called the defenses for multiple teams. He did so at times during his head coaching stint but not for all of it. He runs a 4-2-5 scheme that will feature some 4-3 looks, as well. There is no denying that Allen’s Indiana defenses dropped off statistically near the end of his tenure. But, he will bring an aggressive philosophy to town that has worked well in the past.

“I’ve enjoyed following his coaching career and his experience as a head coach and defensive play caller will bring tremendous value to our program,” Franklin said. “Coach Allen has led aggressive and attacking style defenses that will complement what we have already established.”

Expect lots of creativity and pressure calls from Allen, who should lead better units now that he can focus on just defense again and has a talent upgrade. He has done well at numerous stops. And, this one should be no different. One other note: He’s been historically very good when it comes to third down defense. Per a Penn State news release:

“In his eight-year tenure with the Hoosiers, IU’s defenses were known for getting off the field on third downs, ranking in the top five in the Big Ten on third down in five seasons and in the top 15 nationally twice. The Hoosiers ranked sixth in the Big Ten in third down defense (36.6%) during the eight-year span.”

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