Faith and family. Those things are Tom Allen’s priorities, aside from just football. And those are reasons why taking Clemson’s defensive coordinator job was the right move for him.

Allen has yet to officially kick off his first season at Clemson. He has only been on Dabo Swinney’s staff since January, but says his decision to choose Clemson has already been validated during his short time in Tiger Town.

Not only does Allen fit right into the culture Swinney has created at Clemson, but coming there also allowed Allen and his wife to be near their two daughters who live in the Carolinas.

Also, Allen is with his son, Thomas Allen. A former linebacker at Indiana under the head coaching of his father, Thomas joined the Tigers as a defensive analyst and assistant linebackers coach around the time his father accepted a job there.

“That’s just proven to be an amazing opportunity here, being so close to our two daughters and our son who’s with us here,” Tom said. “But family’s really important to me. My faith is really important to me. The culture that Dabo has built here was pretty well established and well known regarding to the kind of environment you would be in here as a coach. So, all those things just continue to be reinforced in the decision that we made.”

Allen joined the Tigers with more than three decades of coaching experience as a head coach and assistant. Most recently, he served as the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Penn State in 2024, a season in which he helped lead the Nittany Lions to a school-record 13 wins and a College Football Playoff berth.

Now, Allen is embarking on his first season with a Clemson team that has high hopes and aspirations – and he’s doing so with his family by his side.

“Obviously I was a part of a great place and working for a great head coach and great people. I really appreciate that, and it was an awesome time,” Allen said of Penn State and head coach James Franklin.

“But for me, it was about my family, and it’s proven to be an awesome thing, to be able to get a lot of time together with them – way more than we ever would have, had we lived in a different place, and those things matter to me.”