Tom Allen talks new Penn State defense, most improved players | Media Day Press Conference

on the right hey Tom how are you today doing great how are you good I just want to follow up on something I asked James about Max Grandville joining the roster so late um what were your impressions of him as a prospect looking longer term maybe this summer but this spring versus now what you have in front of you on campus and the viability of him taking a role as a freshman yeah I tell you you know it was one of those things where when you begin the process this wasn't was we were thinking what happen you know we was thinking about being a a major enrolling once concluded his senior season and uh then you know when that started to transpire it was brought up you know it was like okay so you start going from thinking about a guy that's going to be here a year from now to a guy that could be here potentially uh in the fall which is how it kind of started and we were very excited about his athleticism you know on film it flashes uh then you start to get to know the person and the family and and you see the fit to our program to to guy that's going to come here and and care about the things that we care about and uh just do the little things the right way where you feel like coming in really really developed because of everything that he has you know in this program and so uh now that we got him here he hasn't been here very long but you test him and he test it out really really well kind of you expect him to uh with his track background and his athleticism coming off the edge and so I really have high expectations for Max and I feel like that he's a guy that that uh um has really really good twitch uh great first step quickness uh does a lot of things naturally that we've seen in practice only for a couple days we haven't had pads on yet those will go on today but but you can also you you can tell quite a bit uh about a guy's feel for the game uh even though he's a guy will get bigger and stronger he still has a a good understanding fundament with his hand work and his his footwork and placement of his hands in the Run game going against tight ends and so uh rushing the passer is kind of what he does best what he does naturally uh but obviously he'll uh become a complete player but I tell you what I'm super excited about him thrilled to have him here when we we realized he was going to be here uh which was definitely a surprise was really kind of a bonus for 2024 in the front Rich hi Tom with James last week saying that adul is going to play both and and linebacker how do you juggle his practice time how has he looked in these two practices at end and what factors will you weigh in determining where he will play yeah I think that's a a week to week decision you know I think as we've said you know even the first couple practice been focused on defensive end throughout uh the spring in the summer he obviously knows how to play you know linebacker in our system at a pretty high level and so I think that uh it'll be a game plan decision we feel like we can maximize you know his skill set in those situations and obviously just you know as as he moves forward with our roster the depth and his position and where we feel that all Stacks up so obviously he's a he's a Difference Maker type guy so you want him to be able to have multiple skill sets that he can impact the game different positions and obviously when we get into our third Downs there'll be things he'll do already that will have uh the things he's done in the past at the linebacker position as well so I feel like that that's nothing but a an asset to us and we'll continue to balance that all out and allow him to be able to be you know totally prepared for game day whatever the role might be in the front here Seth hey Tom uh James talked a little bit about how this season could potentially go you know 17 games um with your kind of high energy style of coaching how do you think that fits into what could you know end up being Maybe a very long season well I just think that uh there's a consistency that you must have uh you can't grow weary of doing the little things the right way every day over and over and over again and I think the you know I like to say it you know embracing the boredom of consistency uh whatever that might look like whatever that's fundamental work how you bring your energy every day and to me it's it doesn't really matter how many games we play I'm going to bring that same energy and intensity every single week but I do think in terms of how we practice and how we prepare our team you have to understand the big picture of it all and understand where you're at as a coach and how you bring that so U I'm not necessarily expecting guys to be on an emotional High every day of practice in terms of that you got to learn how to just be consistently good every single day when your body feels a certain way and then when your body doesn't feel a certain way so it's more about your mindset and how you are thinking and not how you're feeling and so to me that's really the approach I take and so we got to be consistent and and to me no matter who we play no matter what week of the season is there has to be a stand of expectation that this is tell pen State plays defense period no matter the game no matter the week of the Season no matter the circumstances on the right Danny hey Tom how are you good how are you doing doing well um James said that there are six or seven quarterbacks that he would feel comfortable playing um right now you know for you how have you seen that room come along and then personally what's your personal philosophy on rotating players using multiple quarterbacks up one spot throughout the game yeah so first of all you know it was a position when I was you know first hired uh that we were concerned about you know just losing three guys from that position you know to the NFL which is an obvious you know um you know hold to fi uh knew we had some talented young players and uh just didn't know how they were going to develop and so that became major Focus obviously brought in two two transfers mid year that were um have turned out to be tremendous you know assess to our program in so many different ways and so uh that room has turned into a question mark into you know possibly one of our strengths of our whole defense and so I love having that depth there you think about the way the game is played now and the way we want to be able to play guys that that can cover and do multiple things not just in man but also in a lot of different Zone principles that we want to be able to implement as well so depth of that position is critical and I'm a big believer in playing lots of guys I've been that way my whole career uh I want to have a good rotation so you're able to be at your very very best at the end of the game and then now also be at the end of a a season which could be a very long season that's that's expectation it's going to be a long season so uh but I I think the more guys you can play the more depth you're going to create and then there whether third down package you know second pass pass packages that we have guys that can cover guys that can tackle that's one thing I think coach Terry Smith done a phenomenal job is building a room full of guys that have the traits you're looking for you know the speed the twitch the the ability to to make plays in space defensively The Tackle have a physical mental toughness to them that that group has so super excited about that group and plan to play a bunch of them in the middle back it's Tom how you doing right here hey Max how you doing I'm good um in through Spring ball and now going into the fall it's the first time you've been able to have the Green Dot on defense um how much do that change what you're able to do just on field yeah it's different you know and so I I carry the radio around you know and and give the call to the Mike linebacker and that's who right now is is wearing the green do we could have different guys wearing it different situations but but at the same time uh it's an adjustment uh but I think it's a um you know another step the direction of allowing us to maximize technology uh I think the the bigger game day adjustments probably going to be the iPads on the sideline but I think the Green Dot you know and how we utilize it it's going to be a lot it's going to be depending upon the offensive style and Tempo and what they choose to do with the Green Dot do they huddle do they not do they use to to to do different mechanisms to maximize things and so uh definitely so we're in the process doing right now is to be able to have multiple ways of of getting our calls into the defense but the Green Dot is a constant with our guys and so even when you play in and practice from different fields and different guys we're trying to get reps with you're trying to go through and maximize that process so it's kind of a fascinating thing for me I've not called a defense with the how communication uh being a college coach my whole career in high school so uh it's new for me as well I did a lot of conversations with NFL guys that I know NFL players that I've coached in college and out out weared in the NFL and how how they you know can maximize what do they want to hear what they don't want to hear uh how can I really help them the most and so it's been a good learning process for me throughout the spring over the summer now into two days into so I think it's going to be an asset to us I think it's going to allow us to really you know be more efficient in what we're doing and need to be able to help our our linebackers give him a couple key before the uh the microphone shuts off in the front Greg coach yeah um when you look at your defensive tackle group you have a lot of returning guys there where do you feel like if they get ready to put the pads on that group is and who are you looking at as some of the better guys or the uh you know more productive guys out of that group well I tell you what you know when often times you talk about the ends here and and right Le so but I tell you I've been impressed with the Insight guys you know and and uh um Zayn Durant to me kind of jumps out Devon at least jumps out to me those two guys and and uh that hasn't really you know when you practice without pads on it's hard to kind of tell anything at this point but we know what they can do I've coached against him and and understand uh uh the level and I just even watching Devon in the bowl game and the level that he played at to me that's that's what he needs to be doing every single week you know and so um jiah you isard to me is another one that's uh tremendously talented you know really big physical guy and you know ke be and another one that can really do a lot of different things and I can go on that's a deep deep group it really is and so I think the bottom line is is that you can't have enough uh big physical guys that can that can you know have good lateral movement as well and uh we're not a team that just sits there you know we'll be very aggressive and attacking in our style so uh they're a huge part of what we want to do and and allows us to be able to U do a great great job you know I just think that all the positions are going to play a huge huge role in this but it's always starts up front to me and be able to stop the run and then pressure the quarterback and I expect this guy to be part of right