CLEMSON — It has only been eight practices to this point, but there is a noticeable difference in the way the Clemson defense is practicing this spring.

In January, Dabo Swinney hired veteran defensive coordinator Tom Allen to run his defense after the Tigers struggled to stop the run, giving up 4.71 yards per carry in 2024. It was the worst yards per carry average allowed by a Clemson defense since 1975.

When Allen went to the film, he noticed several things, including how undisciplined the Tigers were when it came to tackling. He noticed they were losing gap integrity, form tackling was awful, they were taking bad angles, had bad habits or they flat out were not strong enough to bring the ballcarriers down.

Allen has slowly started the process of correcting all of those issues.

“He coaches all the coaches. It has been great,” Swinney said. “Ben [Boulware] and Thomas, Tom’s son, they are all up in the linebackers’ grits every day and every play. Tom is too, but Tom is coaching everybody.

“He is coaching all the coaches. He brings great intensity every single day.”

Allen’s intensity is being felt, and heard, all over the practice field. Allen uses a microphone throughout practice to instruct his coaches and his players. He also uses it to motivate and encourage them.

As Swinney said, he is all over the practice field moving from one segment unit to another. In other words, he is like the head coach of the defense, something Clemson desperately needed on that side of the ball.

“He is a great leader. He is a great leader of men. He is a great leader of young people,” Swinney said.

To improve the tackling, Allen begins practice by doing what he calls the Madden Shuffle. Each unit—defensive tackles, defensive ends, linebackers, safeties and cornerbacks—move to a different coach every five minutes during this 25-minute stretch.

Each position coach works with the players on the proper form of tackling in every situation, specifically within the one-yard range, which Allen calls the Madden Circle.

“It has been fun to watch him work, but again, he would be the first one to tell you we have a long way to go,” Swinney said. “We just have to keep showing up and keep putting the work in and we will get there.”

The Tigers return to work on Monday after taking the last 10 days off for spring break. Clemson will conclude spring drills with the Annual Orange and White Spring Game on April 5 (1 p.m.) at Memorial Stadium.

–photo by Dawson Powers