There’s a new era for the Clemson defense, which watched former defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin see the exit doors in early January. Now, the Tigers will be looking to Tom Allen, whose stop at Penn State as its defensive coordinator was part of a long coaching career.

Allen, whose hire was officially announced on Tuesday, has been around the block of coaching, seeing stints in the states of Florida, Indiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. The 54-year-old is most known for his time at Indiana from 2017 to 2023, where he served as the Hoosiers head coach prior to Curt Cignetti, who took over this past season.

Running a 4-2-5 nickel defense at Penn State, Allen will fit right in with Clemson’s defensive scheme. While running creative blitzes, Allen uses two hybrid players on his teams — one on the defensive line and one in the secondary — to disguise and fake out offenses. The pass rusher would be able to rush the quarterback or drop into coverage, while the “nickelback” can add another element to a blitz or pass rush.

And the scheme worked. Last season, the Nittany Lions finished eighth in points allowed per game in the country, only allowing 16.5 points per game. Allen’s defense allowed an average of 294 yards per game in the country, which was seventh nationally. The Nittany Lions had 44 sacks on the season.

What fans will be looking for in the new defensive coordinator is shades of former Clemson coach Brent Venables, who had a personality that lit a fire under his players’ bellies. Luckily for the Tigers, Allen shares the personality of the now-Oklahoma coach — he’s been seen with his front teeth knocked out and cutting his face while celebrating with his players. With a program slogan of “LEO”— which means love each other — at Indiana, the love he has for his players is there and in full.

Head coach Dabo Swinney has gone out of his comfort zone this offseason, using the transfer portal three times in the few weeks that the Tigers have been in it. In addition to adding a strong hire to mirror offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, Swinney believes that he has the guy to help bring back the Clemson defense to times of old.

“We’ve got a great football coach — and a great leader of men — coming to Clemson,” Swinney said. “He brings a ton of experience and was highly recommended by some of the best people in this business. He is obviously coming off of a great year as the defensive coordinator at Penn State, and we’re excited to welcome him as our defensive coordinator here at Clemson.”