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Dec. 19—The Penn State Board of Trustees formally approved the hiring of former Indiana head coach Tom Allen as the football team’s new defensive coordinator and linebacker coach on Tuesday.
The 53-year-old Allen replaces Manny Diaz, who left the Nittany Lions earlier this month after two very successful seasons to become head coach at Duke.
Allen is expected to be introduced Wednesday at a Beaver Stadium press conference.
“I have always had a ton of respect for Tom Allen,” Penn State coach James Franklin said in a statement released by the university, “and we are excited to welcome him to our staff. I’ve enjoyed following his coaching career, and his experience as a play caller will bring tremendous value to our program.
“Coach Allen has led aggressive and attacking style defenses that will complement what we have already established.”
Allen was fired last month after going 33-49 in seven seasons as Hoosiers head coach. He had served as Indiana’s defensive coordinator in 2016 before he replaced Kevin Wilson as head coach.
Allen’s best season came in the pandemic-affected 2020 season when Indiana went 6-2, including a controversial one-point win over Penn State in overtime. He was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year that season and the national Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.
“I am thrilled for this opportunity with Penn State football and want to thank Coach Franklin and Dr. Kraft (director of athletics Patrick Kraft) for believing in me,” Allen said in a statement. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Franklin and having been across the sidelines from him, I’ve seen what he is building here.
“To be trusted to join this storied program has me fired up. I can’t wait to get to work alongside this coaching staff and these student-athletes and to immerse myself in the Happy Valley…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-officially-hires-tom-044900331.html
Author : Reading Eagle, Pa.
Publish date : 2023-12-20 04:49:00
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