After his first season as defensive coordinator at Penn State, former Indiana head coach Tom Allen is reportedly in talks with Clemson for its DC role, and “A final decision is expected in the upcoming days,” according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Allen’s unit ranked top-five in the country in total defense this season but notably struggled to slow down Oregon and Notre Dame. An early season injury to safety Kevin Winston Jr. left a void at nickel cornerback that was difficult for Allen to fill and the pass defense suffered. Both the Ducks and the Fighting Irish attacked that weakness in two of Penn State’s most disappointing losses. Still, with a lengthy resume and plenty of experience, Allen is a candidate to be poached by Dabo Swinney after the long-time Clemson head coach fired Wes Goodwin this offseason.
Goodwin replaced Brent Venables once he took the head coaching job at Oklahoma just as Allen replaced Manny Diaz when he left Penn State for the top job at Duke. Now, unless Penn State can match Clemson’s offer, Allen is likely to walk after just one season, leaving Franklin to start another DC search. Here are the five names that should and probably would be at the top of his list.
Along with head coach Curt Cignetti, Haines led an Indiana defense that took a massive step forward in 2024. After ranking 87th in total defense under none other than Tom Allen in his final season at IU in 2023, the Hoosiers ranked second in 2024, only behind Ohio State. The young defensive coordinator followed Cignetti from James Madison and was a Broyles Award semifinalist this season.
After Ryan Walters left Illinois to become the head coach at Purdue, Bret Bielema promoted Aaron Henry to DC, and after a bit of a shaky year in 2023, the Illinois defense rebounded in Henry this season. The Illini play an aggressive style in the secondary, which could appeal to Franklin, but he doesn’t have the same level of experience as many of the other potential Allen replacements.
Walter himself may have been a possibility, but the former Purdue head man was recently hired to be the DC at Washington under second-year head coach Jedd Fisch.
For the past two offseasons, Leonhard’s name has circulated for defensive coordinator positions and even a few head coaching jobs, but the former Wisconsin DC and interim head coach spent 2023 as a senior football analyst at Illinois and 2024 as the defensive backs coach for the Broncos. Despite not landing a job, he’s still a hot candidate and was reportedly considered for the Clemson job before Swinney landed on Allen.
He had plenty of success at Wisconsin, but as for his recent resume, Denver’s defensive backs have been some of the best in the NFL with cornerback Patrick Surtain II poised to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Even last offseason when Franklin hired Allen, Poindexter landing the job was a huge possibility. The College Football Hall of Fame defensive back has been at Penn State since 2021 and served as the interim DC for last season’s Peach Bowl, a 38-25 loss to Ole Miss. While it wasn’t a particularly good showing in that contest, Penn State was without its top two cornerbacks, Kalen King and Johnny Dixon, who opted out with their sights set on the NFL draft.
If Poindexter isn’t elevated this time around, Franklin could risk losing one of the best defensive backs coaches in the country.
Coaching since 1996, Tim Banks has made plenty of stops along the path to becoming the defensive coordinator at Tennessee, including one at Penn State as co-DC and safeties coach from 2016-2020 just before leaving for Knoxville.
Tennessee’s defense was a top-10 unit in the country this season, led by a loaded defensive line, something banks could look to replicate in Happy Valley with Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton both returning for their senior seasons in 2025.