As Franklin said before hiring Allen last year, Penn State's defense is not in rebuild mode. The program is about winning now, which the returns of Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki have foreshadowed. Franklin is chasing hardware next season, and the defensive coordinator hire will reflect that.

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen is leaving for Clemson. Here are potential candidates to replace him.

Early this week, the Cincinnati Bengals got brought up alongside the name Wink Martindale as they continue to search for their next defensive coordinator. It was an incredibly strange bit of speculation/reporting because the Bengals and Martindale don’t exactly have the friendliest relationship in recent years.