Penn State closing in on former Indiana coach Tom Allen as its next defensive coordinator

Penn State is targeting former Indiana head coach Tom Allen as its next defensive coordinator, a source close to the program confirmed to The Inquirer on Sunday. ESPN was first with the report. The Nittany Lions are finalizing a deal with Allen, according to several reports.

Allen is set to replace Manny Diaz, who was hired as Duke’s head coach on Dec. 8. Allen spent eight years as the Hoosiers’ head coach before his firing in November.

Behind a stifling defensive attack, Indiana took the Big Ten by storm after just three years under Allen, who in 2019 helped propel the program into the AP Top 25 for the first time in more than two decades. Allen also led the Hoosiers to a victory over the Nittany Lions in 2020, a year that saw the team finish No. 12 in the final rankings.

Allen also served as the defensive coordinator for the Hoosiers and South Florida, linebackers coach and special teams coordinator for Ole Miss, and associate head coach for Arkansas State.

Although he’ll likely join Penn State at the Peach Bowl against Mississippi on Dec. 30, it’s unlikely that Allen calls plays, a role presumably reserved for interim co-defensive coordinators Anthony Poindexter and Robb Smith.