Penn State hires Thomas Allen, son of new coordinator Tom Allen, for an analyst role
New Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen is bringing a member of his former Indiana with him to State College. The Lions have hired the 53-year-old’s son, Thomas Allen, as a defensive analyst and analytics coordinator.
Thomas Allen was most recently a graduate assistant focused on the defense in Bloomington. He also played for the Hoosiers. Over 32 career games as a linebacker, he netted 56 tackles (3.5 for loss), one sack, one interception, and one forced fumble. He suffered a season-ending injury in 2020 but returned to play in eight contests in 2021. He then spent 2022 and 2023 in a GA role at Indiana. Thomas Allen was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
New coordinators frequently bring at least one support staff member with them to their next job, if not more. When Manny Diaz came to Penn State in 2022, he brought analyst Rick Lyster to town. When the Lions hired Andy Kotelnicki to be their new offensive coordinator earlier this month, he was quickly joined by former Kansas co-worker and analyst Bill Queisert in State College. Lions coach James Franklin called both moves “helpful” during a recent news conference. This one will be for Allen and Penn State, as well.
Why did Tom Allen want to come to Penn State?
Allen was fired at Indiana after eight seasons, during seven of which he was the head coach, following the 2023 season. He had negotiated buyout terms that will pay him more than $15 million over two years. In other words, he did not need to coach at Penn State or anywhere else this season from a strictly financial perspective. But, the New Castle, Ind., native is powered not by money but by a love of coaching. And, he could not pass up the chance to lead the Nittany Lions defense while working alongside Franklin, who have long shared mutual admiration.
“For me, I’m a football coach,” Allen said Wednesday. “I just love what I do. And this opportunity to present itself and this timeframe was one that I immediately had interest in. For me, I expected to get back into it once things happened as they did. It was probably a little quicker than expected. But that’s the part you don’t control.
“I just really have so much respect for this program, playing them for eight straight years in our division, obviously getting to know Coach Franklin and what he’s built here and the way he does things. Just super excited about that. That’s why when the opportunity presented itself, we went after it.”
