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PSU changes are underway

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen talks with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki (right) before an NCAA college football game against Kent State, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

From Mirror reports

Monday brought significant news to the Penn State football program, which is clearly in retention mode.

Standout tailbacks Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen announced they plan to return to the Nittany Lions for the 2025 season, as did standout defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton.

Meanwhile, multiple reports indicate defensive coordinator Tom Allen is moving to Clemson.

Singleton’s move was at least a mild surprise considering the running back said several times that he wouldn’t address it until after the season, leaving his options open.

“We still have goals we want to reach as a team, and I want to be alongside my teammates as we reach those goals,” Singleton wrote in an Instagram post. “I am scheduled to graduate this fall and will earn a degree from Penn State University, which has always been a goal for me.”

Sources projected him as a middle-round NFL draft pick.

Singleton rushed for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns in 16 games this past season.

As a freshman in 2022, he rushed for 1,061 yards but dipped to 752 as a sophomore.

Singleton, who has one season of eligibility remaining, scored three touchdowns in the Nittany Lions’ final game, a 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Allen said he’s “learned so much about football and life” and was eager to return as well. He added, “We still have a lot more to accomplish.”

Allen rushed for 1,108 yards this season after 902 as a sophomore and 867 as a freshman.

Dennis-Sutton gave the Lions a big pass rusher opposite Abdul Carter. He posted 42 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, forced two fumbles and made a leaping interception in the Orange Bowl.

Dennis-Sutton said, “We were on the brink of greatness, and that taste of what could be has only made me hungrier. The job is not done.”

Quarterback Drew Allar announced in early December he would be returning, and he reiterated that, per The Athletic, on Monday as well. The Athletic reported Allar’s representatives surveyed Allar’s NFL prospects, and he’s staying in school.

PSU reserve receivers Mekhi Flowers and Tyler Johnson entered the transfer portal on Monday.

Tom Allen’s departure after one season as DC was first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who said “a final decision is expected in the upcoming days.”

Allen, the former head coach at Indiana, reportedly has two daughters who live in the Carolinas.

Penn State has not yet confirmed Allen’s departure.

The Clemson job became available when Dabo Swinney parted company after the season with DC Wes Goodwin.

Under Allen, Penn State led the Big Ten in tackles for loss (119) and interceptions (20). The Lions ranked third in the Big Ten in points allowed, averaging 16.5 per game, behind Ohio State and Indiana.

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