Tom Allen wore a weary smile in Penn State's locker room after the Orange Bowl as he surveyed a silent, still group of players hurting over the Nittany Lions' 27-24 loss to Notre Dame. Penn State's defensive coordinator, at least for that moment, tried to find context.

The Clemson football team has found their guy to lead the defense as Tom Allen is coming over from Penn State to be the next defensive coordinator for the Tigers. Allen was the head coach at Indiana before joining the Nittany Lions,

This guy,” Swinney said Wednesday, grinning toward Tom Allen, the former Indiana head coach and Penn State defensive coordinator who was officially hired as the Tigers’ next defensive coordinator on Tuesday.

The Clemson Tigers lured Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen to take over their unit for the 2025 season.