CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson has officially named Tom Allen as defensive coordinator after his hiring was approved Tuesday by the Clemson University Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.
“We’ve got a great football coach — and a great leader of men — coming to Clemson,” Swinney said in a statement.
“He brings a ton of experience and was highly recommended by some of the best people in this business. He is obviously coming off of a great year as the defensive coordinator at Penn State, and we’re excited to welcome him as our defensive coordinator here at Clemson.”
A 33-year coaching veteran, Allen most recently served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Penn State in 2024, a season in which he helped lead the Nittany Lions to a school-record 13 wins and a College Football Playoff berth.
In his one season with the Nittany Lions, Penn State finished seventh in the nation in total defense (294.8 yards per game) and eighth in the nation in scoring defense (16.5 points per game). Penn State finished second nationally in tackles for loss (119) and fifth in sacks (44). Allen helped defensive end Abdul Carter earn unanimous All-America honors, Penn State’s first time having a player earn that distinction since running back Saquon Barkley in 2017.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity that Coach Swinney has given me to lead the defense. I have admired him from afar for years and look forward to working for him and with his defensive staff,” Allen said in a statement.
“I remain incredibly grateful for the opportunity James Franklin gave me to be part of Penn State football, a championship-caliber program in every respect that will continue to compete at the highest level.”
Prior to one season at Penn State, Allen spent eight years at Indiana with his first season as associate head coach/defense in 2016 before he was promoted to head coach for the Hoosiers, a position he held for seven seasons from 2017-23.
In his first season in Bloomington, he inherited a defense that ranked second-to-last among Power Five teams in passing yards allowed, third-to-last in total defense and scoring defense and fifth-to-last in first downs allowed prior to his arrival, but under Allen, Indiana held its opponents to 129.4 fewer total yards and 94.1 fewer passing yards per game a year later, the nation’s largest improvement. Indiana’s defense allowed 10.4 fewer points per game and gave up 25 fewer touchdowns in one year under his leadership.
His best season at Indiana was 2020 when he was named AFCA National Coach of the Year as the Hoosiers went 6-2 in the pandemic-truncated season, Indiana’s highest winning percentage in a season (.750) since 1967.
After nearly two decades working at the high school level, Allen moved to college where he coached special teams and defensive backs at Division III Wabash College in Indiana in 2007 before was the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at NAIA Lambuth University in Tennessee from 2008-09. In 2010, he served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Drake, an FCS program in Des Moines, Iowa.
Allen moved to the FBS ranks in 2011, serving as assistant head coach for Arkansas State Red Wolves who went 10-3 and won the Sun Belt title. He then moved to the power conference level in 2012, spending three seasons at Ole Miss as special teams coordinator and linebackers coach from 2012-14 alongside current Clemson offensive line coach Matt Luke. Allen then spent one year as defensive coordinator at South Florida in 2015 before leaving for Indiana in 2016.
Swinney was in the market for an experienced play-caller on defense after he dismissed Wes Goodwin who had been Clemson's defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. Goodwin was a longtime Clemson staffer who had no prior play-calling experience when he was named defensive coordinator.
