Clemson coverage busts ended Swinney’s honeymoon with new DC. A family fix put them back on track.
CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney came out of a happy offseason talking about a “honeymoon” with Clemson’s new defensive coordinator, Tom Allen, and hoping it would never end.
But anyone who watched the Tigers’ 46-45 loss to Duke in early November could see there was discord.
After a series of coverage busts, Swinney came to his “head coach of the defense” on the sideline, demanding answers. The best Allen could offer was a look of disgust and statements of fact, because one safety or another just wasn’t where they were supposed to be.
That wasn’t enough to satisfy Swinney, who further vented his frustrations by entering the secondary’s sideline huddle and screaming “BUST!” at every responsible party. Many were at fault, because the Tigers gave up 651 pass yards in losses to SMU and Duke.
“A lot of really costly mistakes that were painful and, obviously, cost us those games,” Allen said. “You look back on them and, man, it just really, really bothers you.”
The honeymoon was definitely over, which Swinney acknowledged, complimenting Allen personally but admitting some things just hadn’t “worked out” as they hoped. They weren’t getting a divorce, but it was implied that something needed to change.
Allen had a solution.
Within their Clemson family, quite literally.
He turned to the one and only assistant he brought from Indiana and Penn State, his son, Thomas, to gather Clemson’s safeties, cornerbacks, and nickel defenders into one room and make sure they met each week to go over calls and assignments.
Thomas Allen, nicknamed T.A., was ideally placed to fix the Tigers’ communication issues because, as the elder Allen puts it, he knows Clemson’s new system “inside and out.” The younger Allen played linebacker at IU from 2017-2021 before becoming a coach.
“You have your position coach for each one of those groups, but it was being able to have everybody hearing the same thing, all the checks and adjustments, and it just really seemed to help a lot,” Tom Allen said.
“We talked about that with the Coach (Swinney), and it’s been super positive.”
Not only has it been a positive statistically — allowing 29 combined points to Florida State and Louisville after SMU and Duke scored a whopping 81 — but a string of solid performances has seemingly restored some confidence to a secondary that was flailing.
Clemson has allowed 641 pass yards in its last three games, which is less than what the Tigers allowed in their prior two.
“At critical times, being on the field, and being the reason why you win those games in those situations,” Allen said, “our secondary is a big part of that.”
Clemson assistant linebackers coach Thomas Allen (left) took charge of meetings for the Tigers’ secondary midseason.
Clemson (6-5) will certainly need its secondary in a showdown with South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who ran circles around the Tigers in 2024 but is perfectly capable of launching a deep shot to former track star Nyck Harbor at any moment.
Swinney wouldn’t say Clemson’s failure to stop Sellers contributed significantly to Wes Goodwin’s firing, because it’s not like a defensive coordinator can physically make tackles on behalf of players. But all of those misses in a 17-14 loss left a “fresh wound.”
“You had that situation to point to and watch and see,” Allen said. “Even with our players, just being able to use it as (a) different means of motivation throughout the offseason to be able to help us be where we need to be.”
Clemson has improved as a rush defense, from 85th (160.6 yards per game allowed) last season to 24th (108.5) entering the final regular season game of the 2025 campaign.
The Tigers have also jumped from 121st in first downs allowed to 54th, as well as smaller gains in red zone defense (51st to 36th), scoring defense (42nd to 34th), and sacks (37th to 26th).
That last number could bode well for Clemson, considering the Gamecocks rank 130th in sacks allowed this season (3.5 per game).
Clemson’s pass defense, however, has been a point of regression — from 54th (213.5 yards per game allowed) last season to 93rd (238.6) in Allen’s first year. In particular, the Tigers’ inexperience at safety and nickel was readily exploitable.
But Allen may have found a fix with redshirt freshman corner Corian Gipson replacing converted receiver Misun Kelley as that inside nickel defender. Clemson hasn’t leaned as heavily on another ex-wideout, Ronan Hanafin, at safety with Khalil Barnes and Ricardo Jones taking the bulk of the first-team snaps there.
With Thomas Allen, an assistant linebackers coach, spending more time with the Tigers’ secondary, Tom Allen settled into the linebacker room alongside Ben Boulware. They are coaching up Sammy Brown, an All-ACC caliber defender who might have a role spying Sellers this weekend.
“Just really, truly making sure that there was just zero communication issues, everybody hearing the exact same thing on each one of the calls,” Allen said. “We had done (those combined position meetings) at times, but we just went to that wholesale.”
The results, in Allen’s estimation, have been “positive.” He feels like the confidence of the Tigers’ defense has been growing.
But there’s one more game left to play that will have an outsized effect on how Clemson people feel about the progress of Allen’s defense this season.
“This time of the season, you better be playing your best football. So I think as a collective group, we are,” Allen said, “But we gotta be able to go prove that. Show that in a game that matters a whole lot to a lot of people in this room, in this facility, and beyond.”
