On January 9, Penn State’s then-defensive coordinator Tom Allen was surveying its locker room after the Orange Bowl after the Nittany Lions lost 27-24 to Notre Dame. “[They] were part of a special, special group,” Allen said. “It’s easy to lose sight of that right now. No one wants to hear that right now [after the loss to Notre Dame]. There’s a lot of hurting guys in this locker room, and rightly so. But I want them to be remembered as one of the best defenses in the country and one of the best defenses in Penn State history. They gave it all to the final whistle.” A day after that Allen was talking to Clemson coach Dabo Swinney about becoming the program’s next defensive coordinator.

Last week, Clemson made it official. Allen explained his decision to leave, saying “Faith and family is a big deal to me,” during his introductory press conference at Clemson. With that, Allen left Penn State searching for a defensive coordinator. AGAIN- for the third time in four years. Head Coach James Franklin launched an all-out search for filling the position and Penn State fans saw a bright light of hope when, on January 15, a private flight from State College to Santa Ana, California, popped up. Guess why.

Because the name of the USC Trojans’ defensive coordinator was D’Anton Lynn! Not only Lynn was a starting cornerback at Penn State before he began a coaching career in 2014, but also the Trojans improved their run defense significantly this season with Lynn at the helm of affairs. No wonder Lynn was on Franklin’s radar. But calamity struck the Penn State on the very next day. On January 16, USC announced its extension of the contract with Lynn. After this ‘heartbreak,’ James Franklin now has to deal with a different yet similar situation that’s raising concerns for his team.

According to Nittany Sports Now’s report on January 25, “Penn State football’s next defensive coordinator has one less name on the list.” The outlet shared a report by FootballScoop that read, “James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill will be heading to Texas A&M.” So for Penn State, it is back to square one- its deep, talented core of defenders, led by defensive tackle Zane Durant and rush-end Dani Dennis-Sutton up front and cornerback A.J. Harris and safety Zakee Wheatley in the back still awaits their leader.

Hemphill was one of the top names for James Franklin and Co. in their hunt for a new DC. But the former James Madison University DC blew out any spark of hope in Penn State when he accepted Mike Elko’s offer in College Station. This isn’t a surprising move because there’s a Hemphill-Elko connection. He was part of the Duke’s staff as the co-DC from 2022-23 during Elko’s HC tenure before his JMU stint. 

Losing this target is a loss for Penn State. Hemphill is a defensive genius who led the Monarchs to a 9-4 record. Under his coaching, they compiled the nation’s No. 21 defense. The other potential candidates that James Franklin can still place his hope in include current Ohio State DC Jim Knowles and current safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, among others. But this unexpected turn of events only adds to the misery after failing to retain a couple of elite players. 

James Franklin loses a pair of Penn State’s pride

The collective effort earned Penn State a chance to compete in the playoffs. This includes the contributions from WR Harrison Wallace, who recorded 46 catches for 720 yards and four TDs. But his transfer to Ole Miss is a huge blow to James Franklin’s offensive goals. But shortly after that, the Nittany Lions had another depressing update about their 2026 class prospect. 

Neumann Goretti HS standout edge rusher Wydeek Collier announced his interest, and Penn State isn’t it. Despite their efforts, James Franklin couldn’t win this 6’6, 200-pounder’s commitment, who joined Rutgers over the Lions. He revealed his decision on X writing, “100 percent committed. F.A.M.I.L.Y.” Losing him is a big loss because this kid can make an impact on both sides of the football. He proved it last season with 270 yards and two scores as a WR, 34 tackles, and eight sacks as an edge rusher/linebacker on the defense. 

It’s a series of bad situations for James Franklin right now. But the question is, can he rise above these adversities? After all, diamonds are formed under pressure.