Report: PSU eyes Allen as DC
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Penn State is nearing an agreement to make former Indiana head coach Tom Allen the Nittany Lions' new defensive coordinator, multiple national media outlets are reporting.
College football insider Pete Thamel of ESPN first broke the story on Sunday afternoon.
Penn State has not yet confirmed it, but James Franklin said Friday the search was moving quickly, and he wanted it done "yesterday."
Allen replaces Manny Diaz, who was hired as Duke's head coach earlier this month.
Allen was fired in November by Indiana after eight years as head coach. He went 33-49 with the Hoosiers, including 3-9 this season. He led Indiana to bowl games in 2016, '19 and '20.
Allen, 53, was defensive coordinator at South Florida and Indiana before being promoted to head coach of the Hoosiers in 2017.
Allen will be Penn State's second straight defensive coordinator whose previous stint was a head-coaching position.
Diaz was Miami's head coach for three seasons (2019-21) before he was fired and hired by Franklin. The Nittany Lions led the nation in total defense in 2023.
Co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter will handle the playcalling in the Dec. 30 Peach Bowl against Mississippi, and Allen -- similar to Diaz after he was hired two years ago -- will be an observer.
"If somebody had head coaching experience, I think there's value in that," Franklin said Friday, perhaps tipping his hand. "I think Manny's (Diaz) time as a head coach was valuable. (Special teams coach) Stacy Collins' value as a previous head coach, there's value in those things. I don't think that's the end-all be-all, but it's helpful if we can find it."
No. 10 Penn State (10-2) faces No. 11 Mississippi (10-2) in the Peach Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 30.