Tom Allen wasn't looking for a new job after Penn State finished its run to the College Football Playoff semifinals, but the right job found him anyway.
Allen netted a $300,000 raise in trading Penn State for Clemson but, as he explained in his opening press conference, that wasn't the reason for the move.
The Allens have three children -- two daughters, one son -- and the move will put all five of them in the Carolinas. One daughter lives in North Carolina, where she is expecting a child, and the other resides in Greenville, S.C. The couples' son, Thomas, was a defensive analyst and analytics coordinator at Penn State and will work with the linebackers at Clemson.
“For my wife to be able to see her grandchildren on a consistent basis, you can’t replace that," Allen said.
The most moving part of Allen's press conference came as he described one daughter refusing to get out of the car as she started yet another new school one January morning years ago.
Though the Allen children are grown now, during their formative years, Dad moved the family from Indiana to Tennessee to Iowa to Mississippi to Florida and back to Indiana as he climbed the ladder from high school head coach to Big Ten defensive coordinator over an 11-year period from 2006-16.
I know, I know. The Allens are far from the only coaching family to make as many moves, and their story ends better than most everyone's. But that's what makes this clip here so relatable for those who live it every day.
Clemson DC Tom Allen gets choked up talking about the sacrifices his wife and kids had to make as he pursued his coaching career. “We’re really close.” Says pulling his kids out of school was taxing on everyone. “One time my daughter just wouldn’t get out of the car” pic.twitter.com/J0wu3W7YED
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) January 15, 2025