Introducing Tom Allen: Who is Clemson's New Defensive Coordinator?

Defensive Coordinator Tom Allen while at Penn State. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

The Clemson Tigers have been looking for a new Defensive Coordinator since they fired Wes Goodwin on January 6th. After a week of swirling rumors with names like Tim Banks (Tennessee Defensive Coordinator), Jim Leonhard (Denver Broncos Defensive Backs Coach) and Tyler Santucci (Georgia Tech Defensive Coordinator) popping up, the Tigers have found their guy. Penn State Defensive Coordinator Tom Allen will be Clemson’s new DC.

Who is Tom Allen?

Allen worked as a high school Defensive Coordinator and Head Coach at multiple different schools from 1992-2006. He finally started coaching Division 1 football in 2010 with the Drake Bulldogs and after just one year with the school he moved to Arkansas State to be the Assistant Head Coach to Hugh Freeze. After an impressive season with the Red Wolves, both Freeze and Allen went to Ole Miss where Allen served as the Linebackers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator. Before Allen’s arrival at Ole Miss, they had ranked dead last in the SEC in total defense. By 2014, Allen’s final year in Oxford, the Rebels were ranked near the top of the FBS in tackles for loss and sacks. This led to Tom Allen becoming the Defensive Coordinator at South Florida. Once again, Allen completely turned around a faltering defense as his unit was first in the American Conference in scoring defense at just 19.6 points per game. The Bulls defense was 13th in the nation in tackles for a loss, 14th in interceptions and 26th in sacks. After a successful season at South Florida, Tom Allen moved to Indiana to become the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. Allen masterminded one of the best defensive turnarounds in the country that year. The Hoosiers were the most improved team nationally in total defense and passing defense while being the sixth-most improved in third down defense. After Allen magically improved Indiana’s defense, he was promoted to serve as the team’s Head Coach. Allen’s time as Head Coach at Indiana got off to a terrific start, his 18 wins in 3 seasons was the most of an Indiana coach since the post-World War II era. In 2019, Indiana earned their first top 25 ranking since 1994 and finished the season 8-4. In 2020, the Hoosiers finished the season 6-1 (shortened by Covid-19) and ranked #7 in the AP poll. But, Indiana’s success under Tom Allen would end there. Over the course of the next 3 seasons, the Hoosiers would only win a total of 9 games and would not appear in a bowl game. Indiana decided to move on from Allen at the end of the 2023 season. After Manny Diaz decided to leave Penn State and become the head coach at Duke, Tom Allen was hired as Penn State’s new defensive coordinator. In 2024, Penn State’s defense was ranked inside the top 10 for points per game (#6), yards per game (#5) and yards per play (#8). Now, Tom Allen joins Dabo Swinney’s staff as Clemson’s new defensive coordinator.

How Can Clemson’s Defense Improve?

Clemson’s defense struggled all year against the run, especially in their losses to South Carolina and Texas. They ranked 76th in total defense, 86th in rushing defense and 101st in rushing yards allowed per carry. The 4.71 yards allowed per carry were the worst by a Clemson defense since 2011. For Tom Allen to improve this Clemson defense he has to find a way to replicate his major success at schools like Ole Miss, South Florida, Indiana and Penn State. Another improvement that can be made to this Clemson defense is recruiting. Many people around Clemson football questioned whether former DC Wes Goodwin’s laid-back demeanor hurt his ability to recruit blue-chip prospects, especially in the NIL and transfer portal era of college football. Tom Allen doesn’t bring those same concerns. During his time at Indiana he had 4 recruiting classes within the top 50 and 2 within the top 30 of FBS schools. Allen’s ability to recruit is a plus and can help Clemson take that next step toward being national champions once again. Another positive from hiring Tom Allen is his ability to coach and recruit linebackers. At Drake, Ole Miss and Penn State, Allen was the linebackers coach and effectively developed players like Kobe King and Denzel Nkemdiche. With Clemson losing Barrett Carter to the NFL draft, the Tigers are a little thin at the linebacker position. Tom Allen has Sammy Brown and Wade Woodaz to work with but Clemson’s new DC may need to hit the portal in order to field a more competitive defense and linebacker core in 2025. Dabo Swinney hit a home run in hiring Tom Allen to be the next Defensive Coordinator for the Clemson Tigers. Allen’s 14 years coaching defense in college football is a stark contrast to Wes Goodwin’s zero years of calling plays when he was promoted by Swinney in 2022. Allen’s success at Drake, Ole Miss, South Florida, Indiana and Penn State proves that he is able to turn around a defense quickly, which is exactly what the Tigers need.