2025 Preseason Herbie Awards: Tom Allen named Best Impact Coordinator Hire

After making a change at defensive coordinator, Dabo Swinney made a splash. He brought in Tom Allen, who helped orchestrate Penn State’s elite defense during his two years in the role.

As Clemson looks to make another run in the ACC this year, the defense’s success will be critical. That’s why ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit gave Allen is Best Impact Coordinator Hire award during the 2025 Preseason Herbie Awards on Friday.

Herbstreit pointed to Clemson’s success under Brent Venables when he was defensive coordinator before taking the Oklahoma job. In Allen, he thinks the Tigers got someone who can replicate that dominance.

“I think this is a very intentional hire by Dabo Swinney,” Herbstreit said on the show. “He doesn’t very often go outside to bring in coaches. But I think he realized it was tough to let go of Wes Goodwin, who was an understudy there under Brent Venables. But what did Brent Venables bring to the defense beyond scheme? He brought intensity. He had a ‘stay-back coach’ every time we would show him on the sideline. Well, they lost that the last two years. They now have that back in Tom Allen. So we can look at Clemson on paper and be like, ‘Wow, look at this guy. Look at this guy. They’re going to be able to do this.’

“But I think what will be very, very clear in that opening game against LSU is … our crew on ABC on Saturday night cutting to Tom Allen after a big third-down stop and just showing how he’s getting them to get excited again and play with the intensity that I think we’re used to seeing when, of course, they had Brent Venables and that defense flying around. I think they get back to that with Tom Allen.”

Allen spent two years as Penn State’s defensive coordinator after his departure from Indiana, where he was the head coach. Last year, when the Nittany Lions made a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals, that unit gave up 294.8 yards per game – making it a top-10 group in the country.

Now, Allen will inherit a Clemson defense that had an up-and-down go in 2024. The Tigers were middle-of-the-pack in the ACC, but allowed 374.9 yards per game as they brought home a conference title to get into the College Football Playoff bracket. Clemson is the favorite to win the ACC once again this year and will open the season with a high-profile Week 1 matchup against LSU.