Following the recent departure of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who took the Duke head coaching job on December 7th, Penn State head coach James Franklin didn't waste much time before hiring Diaz's replacement. Just a couple of weeks before Penn State's appearance in the Peach Bowl vs. Ole Miss, Franklin and the Nittany Lions are nearing a deal with the former head coach of a Big Ten rival, per Pete Thamel of ESPN.

“Sources: Penn State is targeting former Indiana coach Tom Allen to be the school’s next defensive coordinator. Deal is being finalized and is expected to come together in the upcoming days.”

Tom Allen's eight-season run as the Hoosiers head coach came to an end earlier this year when Indiana decided to part ways with their long-time head coach and hire Curt Cignetti, who rose to national prominence this year as his James Madison squad made a push for an unexpected undefeated season. Allen, who spent one season as the defensive coordinator at Indiana before taking over as head coach, seemed to be turning around the Indiana football program, leading the Hoosiers to back to back winning seasons in 2019 and 2020, the first time they achieved such success since 1990-91.

Tom Allen won't have an opportunity to go up against his former Hoosiers squad until the 2025 season. Next year, Penn State's Big Ten schedule includes three games versus new members of the conference (USC, Washington, and UCLA), on top of games versus familiar Big Ten foes like Ohio State, Maryland, Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue and Minnesota.