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Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
Penn State Defensive Coordinator Candidates: Who Will Replace Tom Allen Next Season?
Now that Penn State’s 2024-25 football season is officially over, it’s time to look at who head coach James Franklin may turn to to replace outgoing defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who is taking over as the defensive coordinator at Clemson in 2025.
Allen did wonders for Penn State is his lone season as defensive coordinator in Happy Valley, leading the sixth ranked scoring defense in the nation (giving up a scant 16.5 points per game), while leading a host of talented players that got the Nittany Lions into their first CFP games.
The team’s run from there featured a myriad of highs and lows, with the Nittany Lions trouncing SMU and Boise State by a combined score of 69-24, before falling to Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals, 27-24, to put the finishing touches on a 13-3 season across PA sports betting.
Now, the question at Penn State surrounds who Franklin will pick to replace Allen as DC, with a promising internal candidate leading our list of potential replacements, ahead of a number of Power Four defensive coordinators from across the country.
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Penn State Football Next Defensive Coordinator Odds
Coach | Current Position | Percentage Chance | Odds |
Anthony Poindexter | Penn State Co-DC & Safeties | 36.4% | +175 |
D’Anton Lynn | USC DC | 9.1% | +1000 |
Tim Banks | Tennessee DC | 7.7% | +1200 |
Elijah Robinson | Syracuse DC | 7.7% | +1200 |
Pat Fitzgerald | Former Northwestern HC | 5.4% | +1750 |
Dan Connor | Penn State Defensive Analyst | 4.8% | +2000 |
Al Golden | Notre Dame DC | 4.8% | +2000 |
Other |
| 26.7% | +275 |
Disclaimer: These odds were developed by and are exclusive to PennStakes.com, but regulated operators offering top PA sportsbook promo codes will offer wagers on each college game, plus futures betting and more.
Who Replaces Tom Allen?
Our commanding favorite to become the next DC at Penn State is current co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, who checks in at +175 to replace Allen in Happy Valley next fall. The former Super Bowl champion and UVA star football player ranks well ahead of the closest external DC candidates at Penn State, with candidates to look out for including former UCLA and current USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn (+1000), Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks and Syracuse DC Elijah Robinson, who both clock in at +1200 to replace Allen.
Longshot candidates that could be the next DC at Penn State include former Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald at +1750, Penn State defensive analyst Dan Connor and Notre Dame defensive coordinator and former Miami (FL) and Temple head coach Al Golden, who check in at +2000 apiece.
For now, we’re going with Poindexter as our top candidate to be the next man in charge of Penn State’s defensive unit, with the current co-defensive coordinator of the Nittany Lions looking like a shoo-in to replace Allen now that he’s departed Happy Valley for Death Valley.
USA Today photo by Nathan Ray Seebeck.
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