Former Indiana Football Coach Tom Allen’s Raspy Voice Prompts Change For Penn State Defense

Tom Allen, now Penn State’s defensive coordinator, was having trouble being heard on game day.

First-year Penn State football defensive coordinator Tom Allen answers a question from a reporter during an interview in Holuba Hall on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in State College. / Dan Rainville/USA Today Network - PA / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Former Indiana football coach Tom Allen, let go after the 2023 season by the Hoosiers, landed on his feet inside the Big Ten when he was named Penn State’s defensive coordinator.

However, an unexpected occupational hazard has caused a change of role for the veteran coach.

It bears some explanation.

For the first time, college football teams can communicate with players on the field via sideline-to-helmet communication. As defensive coordinator, Allen was in-charge of making defensive calls for the Nittany Lions, but a problem cropped up.

Allen’s voice.

According to a Thursday story from Seth Engle of StateCollege.com, Allen was moved from the sideline to the press box while defensive analyst Dan Connor took the headset and relayed Allen’s calls to the field.

According to Engle, Allen’s raspy voice played a role in the switch. Engle’s report notes that linebacker Kobe King, who receives the defensive calls, was having trouble getting them from Allen.

Engle reported that defensive communication may have played a role in Penn State’s difficulty in putting Bowling Green away on Sept. 7 at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions edged the Falcons 34-27 in that contest.

Better communication was also cited as a reason for the ease in Penn State’s 56-0 win over Kent State last Saturday.

“Him not being on the mic, Dan Connor having the mic and it being a different voice that is more understandable, not saying that Coach Allen wasn’t understandable, but (Connor’s) a younger guy. He gets us more,” King told StateCollege.com.

Penn State coach James Franklin addressed moving Allen to the press box without talking about Allen’s voice during his Monday press conference.

“He hadn't been up there for 15 years,” Franklin explained. “We talked about doing it the week before, ended up doing it last week. Thought there was some real advantages to going up there, but we'll see how this week goes, and I could see this being a week-to-week deal where we do what is necessary.”

“Last week I do think it was a positive, and I think Tom did as well,” Franklin added.

Franklin also thinks Allen can do his job just fine from on-high.

“I think the best place to call from is the booth. You can lay out all your call sheets, makes it easy to kind of write down and take notes, makes it easy to be focused on the game and not dealing with the fans and not dealing with the emotions of the players on the sideline and not dealing with weather. It's literally calling the game,” Franklin said.

Franklin noted that Allen had some reluctance about going upstairs to do his work.

“I think after going up and doing it, I think it became a viable option for him and for us,” Franklin said. “I think he liked it.”

Franklin also joked that Allen was in the press box for, “the hot dogs, the food and the temperature.”

Allen, who coached Indiana from 2016-23, was famously raspy and he often lost his voice when he raised it during practices and games. At several press conferences with the media, he would apologize for having lost his voice.

Allen also has a rapid-fire delivery which can exacerbate the raspy voice issue.

Voice problems or not, No. 9 Penn State is still unbeaten. The Nittany Lions will try to protect their unblemished record when No. 19 Illinois visits Saturday night.