CLEMSON — Clemson football has found its next defensive coordinator in Penn State defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Tom Allen, according to multiple reports.

Allen, 54, served as Penn State’s defensive coordinator for one season. He helped the Nittany Lions make the College Football Playoff semifinals with their defense ranking No. 8 in scoring defense (16.5 points) and No. 7 in total defense (294.8 yards) in FBS last year. Against the run, Penn State was ninth, allowing 101.9 yards.

Allen will be the fourth defensive coordinator hired under Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. Allen was Indiana’s coach from 2017 through 2023 and has been coaching since 1992, starting at the high school level and working his way up to the collegiate level to work at Drake, Arkansas State, Ole Miss and South Florida. He will be tasked with returning Clemson’s defense to prominence after the unit struggled in 2024 under then-defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin.

Under Goodwin last season, the Tigers tied for 49th in scoring defense with 23.4 points allowed per game, and were 69th in total defense (374.1 yards allowed). The major flaw was the run defense, allowing 160.6 yards per game (84th in FBS).