{"id":60224,"date":"2024-06-07T12:00:45","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T16:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=60224"},"modified":"2024-06-06T22:28:22","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T02:28:22","slug":"tom-allen-penn-state-defense-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2024\/06\/07\/tom-allen-penn-state-defense-expectations\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Allen: Penn State Defense’s Expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"

2024 Preview: Tom Allen New Penn State Defensive Coordinator\/Linebackers Coach<\/h2>\n

Penn State has a well-deserved legacy as a strong defensive unit.\u00a0 <\/span>They are not called \u201cLinebacker U\u201d for nothing.\u00a0 Consequently, <\/span>coaching that unit comes with big responsibility, and it takes a big-time coach to lead a big-time unit.\u00a0 <\/span>Tom Allen<\/b><\/a> joins the Penn State coaching staff in 2024 leading the defense as the new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.\u00a0 <\/span>He replaced Manny Diaz, who left Penn State after a solid run as defensive coordinator,\u00a0to become the head coach at Duke University.<\/p>\n

Another component is strong Florida roots. \u00a0Therefore, Allen\u2019s impact on recruiting could also be something to watch.\u00a0 <\/span>Penn State has traditionally been strong in and around Pennsylvania, including New Jersey, Maryland, and Ohio.\u00a0 <\/span>Expanding the pipeline into Florida would be a worthwhile development.<\/p>\n

Get to Know Tom Allen: Tenure at Indiana<\/b><\/h3>\n

Before Tom Allen was hired to take over the Penn State defense, he was Head Coach at Indiana University. \u00a0He arrived there in 2016 as defensive coordinator.\u00a0 <\/span>After one season, when Head Coach Kevin Wilson <\/b><\/a>resigned, Allen was promoted to the big chair.\u00a0 <\/span>He did not look back.\u00a0 <\/span>Despite a roller-coaster tenure, he was a successful coach overall for the Hoosiers, an athletics department better known for their exploits on the hardwood with basketball than the gridiron with football.<\/p>\n

Recruiting<\/h3>\n

As a testament to Allen\u2019s roots in Florida, perhaps the defensive-minded coach\u2019s most well-known recruit was a quarterback.\u00a0 <\/span>Michael Penix, Jr.<\/b><\/a> is a great case study into what happened with Allen\u2019s tenure in Bloomington.\u00a0 <\/span>While Penix showed up on the national radar during his two years with the Washington Huskies, he showed promise and potential during his time with Indiana.\u00a0 <\/span>As profiled at 247sports, <\/em>Penix\u2019s offer was pulled by Tennessee. \u00a0Allen and all ten on-field coaches flew to Florida to recruit Penix.\u00a0 <\/span>He fought injuries in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. A sign of the man that Tom Allen is, they mutually agreed that a new start was best for Penix.\u00a0 <\/span>He moved on to Washington and the rest is history.<\/p>\n

Results<\/h3>\n

The highlights of Allen\u2019s tenure as head coach at Indiana were in 2019 and 2020.\u00a0 <\/span>In 2019, Allen\u2019s third year as Head Coach, the Hoosiers won eight games and lost five (including a five-win, four-loss record in the Big Ten).\u00a0 <\/span>They peaked at #16 in November before losing to ninth-ranked Penn State 34-27 at Beaver Stadium.\u00a0 <\/span>The Hoosiers played Tennessee in the Gator Bowl and lost 23-22.<\/p>\n

In the 2020 season, shortened by Covid, Allen\u2019s team hit their stride.\u00a0 <\/span>The first game was a victory for the unranked Hoosiers over the eighth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions by a score of 36-35 in overtime.\u00a0 <\/span>They finished the year with six wins and two losses (including six wins and only a loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten).\u00a0 <\/span>The season culminated with a 26-20 loss to Ole Miss in the Outback Bowl. \u00a0This success is important when considering Allen’s fit with the Penn State defense. \u00a0No matter who the opponent was, the Hoosiers were ready and played hard. \u00a0Logically, this attitude should be present with the Nittany Lions (as it was with Diaz).<\/p>\n

After losing Penix and a lot of assistants, the program was not the same.\u00a0 <\/span>The downward spiral began in 2021, when the Hoosiers started the season as #16 in Preseason rankings.\u00a0 <\/span>They finished the year with two wins and ten losses, including no wins in nine Big Ten games.\u00a0 <\/span>2022 showed a slight improvement, to four wins and eight losses overall, and 2023 would be Allen\u2019s last year in Bloomington with a record of three wins and nine losses. \u00a0Metaphorically, Allen has seen the peaks and valleys of Big Ten football and his experience will be a resource for the defense, and for James Franklin<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What to Expect from Allen\u2019s Penn State Defense<\/b><\/h3>\n

Tom Allen takes over a defense that did not have much wrong with it. In 2023, Manny Diaz\u2019s Penn State defense excelled in many ways. The Nittany Lions led the nation in sacks. They were also first in yards allowed per game while ranking third in points per game. It will be important for Allen, as a new voice leading the defense, build on the success of the past as he pushes for improvements.<\/p>\n

\n

“I think this hire will pay dividends in the hunt for a Big Ten title and the battle for a National Championship.”@PennStateFball<\/a> alum @AdamBreneman81<\/a> shares his thoughts on the Tom Allen hire as Penn State DC: pic.twitter.com\/hjz3rOkEtJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) December 27, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Certainly, football is a team sport.\u00a0 Consequently, w<\/span>ith 11 players on each side of the ball, success depends on everyone doing their job.\u00a0 <\/span>While at Indiana, Allen used a simple acronym to preach the importance of teamwork and being there for each other.\u00a0 <\/span>It was \u201cL.E.O.\u201d which stands for Love Each Other.\u00a0 <\/span>Allen will look to bring that same attitude to his Penn State defense. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Undeniably, Allen prioritizes tackling, takeaways, and effort.\u00a0 <\/span>That points to a focus on the fundamentals which will drive strong tackling.\u00a0 <\/span>Additionally, being there for each other (LEO) enhances the gang-tackling aspect of the game.\u00a0 <\/span>Takeaways are obviously momentum changers and frequently finding the winner of the takeaway battle means finding the winner of the game.\u00a0 <\/span>Effort is self-explanatory.\u00a0 <\/span>As the head coach of a relatively smaller Big Ten football program going against teams like Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State each year, the effort is a big differentiator.<\/p>\n

Of course, offseason motivational press conferences and practices are important.\u00a0 <\/span>Ultimate success is determined by results on the field.\u00a0 <\/span>Allen brings learnings from his tenure at Indiana, in the Head Coach seat, with him to Happy Valley.\u00a0 <\/span>Players have reacted well to Allen so far. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bottom Line<\/h3>\n

Tom Allen, by all accounts, is a great person and very easy to root for.\u00a0 <\/span>He will likely endear himself to Nittany Nation quickly and be a solid addition to the coaching staff.\u00a0 <\/span>Early on, his biggest issue was the transition from Head Coach to Defensive Coordinator.\u00a0 <\/span>He even has blown the whistle a few times at practice.\u00a0 <\/span>Both Allen and Franklin have laughed about it and will be very happy if that is the biggest problem during the transition.<\/p>\n

The defense\u2019s ultimate results will be a good barometer of the team\u2019s success.\u00a0 Drew Allar<\/a><\/strong>, Andy Kotelnicki, and the offense hold the other key. \u00a0<\/span>Allen is excited about the challenge of leading the Penn State defense and is diving in the deep end so far.\u00a0 <\/span>Nittany Lions fans will be watching, and the faster the comparisons to Diaz and last year\u2019s defense stop, the better that means the defense is doing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Tom
Photo courtesy: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2024 Preview: Tom Allen New Penn State Defensive Coordinator\/Linebackers Coach Penn State has a well-deserved legacy as a strong defensive unit.\u00a0 They are not called \u201cLinebacker U\u201d for nothing.\u00a0 Consequently, coaching that unit comes with big responsibility, and it takes a big-time coach to lead a big-time unit.\u00a0 Tom Allen joins the Penn State coaching […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5172,"featured_media":60237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[7983,641,837,395,3440,309,1073],"class_list":["post-60224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-bigten","tag-big-ten-football","tag-indiana-hoosiers","tag-james-franklin","tag-manny-diaz","tag-penn-state-defense","tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-tom-allen"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5172"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}