For whatever it’s worth, the Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Equity and Human Resources has scheduled meetings for Friday, Jan. 24 and Monday, Jan. 27.
Penn State’s Board Of Trustees Committee on Equity and Human Resources have scheduled two more meetings for January 24th and 27th to go along with one on the 23rd.
The previous two for Jan. 17th and Jan. 20th were both cancelled.
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— Penn State Nittany Lions | Happy Valley Insider (@PennStateRivals) January 22, 2025
Could this mean Penn State is on the verge of hiring a defensive coordinator?
Who knows, and it’s certainly not a guarantee that this is the case.
When word got out that the trustees had scheduled meetings for Friday, Jan. 17, and Monday, Jan. 20, many thought this might be a sign that a hire was near. But that didn’t turn out to be the case, and the search is now going on 10 days. This is the second consecutive winter in which head coach James Franklin and company are searching for a defensive coordinator.
HOW PSU GOT HERE
Graphic by Clemson Athletics: Tom Allen
Here’s how Penn State got here. Not many people expected Tom Allen’s stay at Penn State to only last one season. But that’s what ended up happening. Citing family reasons, Allen left Penn State for the same position at Clemson. So now, PSU is searching, and several names have been linked to the job. If Penn State is to stay in house, it will likely hire Anthony Poindexter, the team’s current co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach. As far as outside candidates, it feels like anyone’s guess. Possible candidates range from Ohio State DC Jim Knowles to UMass HC Joe Harasymiak.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Getting Knowles right after he helped Ohio State to a national title would be a big coup for Franklin and company. But who knows how realistic it is.
HOW MUCH WOULD THE NEW GUY MAKE?
Pat Kraft Penn St. Volleyball September 18, 2024 David Hague/NSN
So much will the next defensive coordinator make? For what it’s worth, per a report by Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, Tom Allen is set to make $2 million annually over the next three seasons.
This is slightly more than he made at Penn State, where his salary was reported to be $1.5 million annually (starting salary) over three years.
Was the increased salary a big reason for Allen’s move to Clemson? Maybe. Maybe not. But Allen is making more money, and he specifically cited in his farewell address that family was another reason he decided to make the move to Clemson.
PSU opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 against Nevada at Beaver Stadium.
