Clemson is poaching Penn State's top assistant to get back into national title race

Dabo Swinney said there would be changes to the Clemson program after the Tigers' premature exit from the College Football Playoff. Now that Clemson is no longer afraid of the transfer portal, the Tigers appear to be going big-game hunting for their next defensive coordinator. They have identified former Indiana head coach and current Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen as their next guy.

Allen was only at Penn State for a season, but made an indelible impact on the Nittany Lions defense. Abdul Carter and company helped propel the Nittany Lions all the way to the Orange Bowl in their first-ever playoff appearance. Penn State won its first two playoff games to date over SMU in their first-round home game and over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. Allen played a part.

While it is not shocking that Allen is slated to leave State College this soon, for it to be Clemson certainly moves the needle. Allen is overqualified as a defensive coordinator and should have been a serious candidate to be a Power Four head coach again this past hiring cycle. In time, he may get another opportunity, but the vast improvement Indiana had under Curt Cignetti probably hurt him.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Clemson is on the verge of hiring Allen to be their new coordinator.

Let's discuss what this potential transaction means for both Power Four schools involved with Allen.

Clemson is targeting Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen

For Clemson, this is the type of move you have to make if you are serious about contending for national championships again. One of the things that has hurt the Tigers in recent years is the program becoming far too insular. This is Swinney's doing. Initially, it was for the better, but now it has been for the worse. Hiring Allen gives Swinney a strong coordinator like he had with Brent Venables.

For Penn State, losing either Allen or offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki was bound to happen at some point. My concern is that Allen is not leaving Happy Valley for a head-coaching gig. I thought that James Franklin's two star coordinators would only leave State College for a role of that caliber, but I am sorely mistaken. This just signifies that Penn State may have blown its golden opportunity.

Overall, Clemson and Penn State should still be in the mix to contend for College Football Playoff berths next season. Frankly, I may argue that Clemson is still the favorite to win the ACC next season. Cade Klubnik returns at quarterback, and so do many of Clemson's best players. As for Penn State, the Nittany Lions get another year out of Drew Allar, but I am afraid that the defense might pull back.

Ultimately, this potential transaction just goes to show that you have to take advantage of the opportunities when they are put in front of you. Clemson should not have been a playoff team, but took advantage of Miami's miscues vs. Syracuse to even have a chance. Just getting to the playoff was a huge deal for them. As for Penn State, they are not going to sneak up on anyone next season.

These are the type of moves that can take a good team like Clemson and help make them great ones.