Dabo Swinney did a lot of due diligence to eventually hire Tom Allen as his new defensive coordinator. Allen, the former Indiana head coach, spent one year at Penn State before coming to Clemson. It’ll surely give a boost to the Tigers’ defense unit after Allen’s stellar job with the Nittany Lions this season.

Allen, the former Indiana head coach and Penn State defensive coordinator, will make $1.9 million in total salary in 2025, $2 million in 2026 and $2.1 million in 2027. That makes him the highest paid assistant on staff, jumping offensive coordinator Garrett Riley (annual salary of $1.75 million).

Allen, he said, wasn’t looking for a job. He was laser-focused on Penn State’s CFP semifinal game against Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl. The Nittany Lions made the field as an at-large team (No. 6 seed) and won games against SMU and Boise State.