The Clemson football team made a somewhat surprising run to the College Football Playoff in 2024. After flying under the radar for most of the season, Clemson snuck up on just about everyone and won the ACC Championship to earn the final spot in the CFP field.

There's an argument to be made that Clemson was a year ahead of schedule with this current roster despite playing a fairly competitive game on the road against Texas in a 38-24 loss in the first round of the CFP. Swinney and company are getting most of their key players back next season, and now they have made a critical staff addition.

Former Penn State defensive coordinator is leaving Happy Valley to take the same position at Clemson, according to Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports. The deal is expected to get done in the next day.

Shortly after Clemson's loss to Texas, Swinney decided to move on from defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin. Clemson has been unable to find stability at that spot since Brent Venables, the longtime defensive coordinator for the Tigers during their two National Championship runs, departed to be the new head coach at Oklahoma. Now, Swinney and company are taking a big swing at a top name like Allen.

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Allen coached one of the best defenses in college football this season no matter which way you slice it. The Nittany Lions ranked in the top 10 in the country in just about every generic defensive stat you can find, and that side of the ball carried them all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals this season.

Now, Allen joins a Clemson squad that is very talented and is getting a lot of its key pieces back next season. On defense, the Tigers are losing key starters Barrett Carter and RJ Mickens, but are getting most of their other key players back next season. Star cornerback Avieon Terrell will be back, giving Allen some star power to work with on that side of the ball.

Now that the coaching staff is secure and Clemson has key players returning on both sides of the ball, Swinney and company should be the clear favorites in the ACC coming into next season and have a chance to compete with another national title in 2025.