247Sports ranks Tom Allen as second-best coordinator hire nationally

---

247Sports ranked the Top 10 coordinator hires for the 2025 season, where the Tigers getting Tom Allen from Penn State landed at No. 2 overall.

"Any hire was going to be an upgrade for Clemson and its porous run defense, but Dabo Swinney landed arguably the best cultural fit by prying Tom Allen away from Penn State," 247Sports analyst Cody Nagel said. "While Allen is not the most proven defensive coordinator to hit the carousel this cycle, he guided Penn State to a top-10 unit in 2024. The Nittany Lions allowed just 3.05 yards per carry, ranking seventh in the FBS — a significant improvement from the 4.71 yards per attempt Clemson surrendered, which ranked 99th nationally. If Allen can shore up the Tigers' run defense, a push for the 2025 national title is not out of the question."

The only coordinator hire to top it in the ranking was Penn State making a first dip into the $3 million a year assistant pool (at least publicly reported) for his replacement to hire Jim Knowles away from reigning national champion Ohio State.

Within the ACC, Florida State hiring former Auburn and UCF head coach Gus Malzahn for its offensive coordinator role ranked No. 5.

"Mike Norvell was a graduate assistant at Tulsa in 2007 and 2008 when Gus Malzahn was the co-offensive coordinator. Now, their roles reverse, with Norvell hiring his former mentor to revamp the Florida State offense. The Seminoles ranked fourth-worst in the FBS with just 15.4 points per game last season. Malzahn, who left his job as head coach at UCF, has long had success with his run-first approach. Snagging dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos out of the transfer portal from Boston College is a near perfect match for the scheme," said Nagel.

Also in the ACC hires, a pair of Big Ten raids also made the list with Miami going for Corey Hetherman (formerly Minnesota) at defensive coordinator at No. 7 and Florida State's Tony White (formerly Nebraska) at defensive coordinator at No. 8.

Send Feedback to Brandon Rink: Email | Comment

Trending on TigerNet

Clemson guard finds transfer landing spot

Crucial House settlement still on hold with judge demand needed to avoid denial

No. 2 Tigers head to No. 25 NC State for series starting Thursday