CLEMSON – Throughout post-practice interviews this spring, one player was consistently mentioned by defensive coordinator Tom Allen and head coach Dabo Swinney.

This athlete, Elliot Washington II, is one of the newest Tigers on the 2026 roster, and committed to Clemson out of the transfer portal this winter following three seasons at Penn State. 

“Elliot Washington has been by far to me the best guy in camp,” Swinney said of the defensive back in March. “He’s made plays every single day. Every single day he’s made a play and he’s turned the ball over more than anybody all spring. So I’m really encouraged.”

At Penn State, Washington collected 53 tackles, two interceptions and nine pass breakups in one career start. In his sophomore season, Allen coached Washington and the rest of the Nittany Lions to a College Football Playoff Semifinal appearance before taking the Clemson job.

Now, the pair is reconnected in the Upstate of South Carolina.

“He’s been extremely productive and just has brought a great mindset and just a swagger about him and a confidence and an edge about him,” Allen said. “I’m excited for him because he had a great season when I was there and I expect him to do the same here.”

After extensive Washington-focused praise stemmed from Clemson coaches, especially after his solid Orange and White Spring Game performance, all communication went silent with media members ahead of the Tigers’ summer workouts.

The coaches were down to only a few hours of work with their players each week.

No players were interviewed publicly. 

For the first time in months, the spotlight was off.

Eventually, Tiger coaches got to meet with the media again in July, and similarly to their sentiments this spring, it was all positive concerning Washington.

“I see a guy that is familiar with the defense, playing for coach Allen at Penn State and just coming in here and picking up where he left off,” cornerbacks coach Mike Reed said.  “Very aggressive, attacking the football as a receiver playing DB.”

While he is a transfer, Washington has a leg up on the other newcomers, as he will be playing in his second year in Allen’s scheme this season. Though he is new to Clemson, Washington will be expected to be a leader this year just like junior veteran Ashton Hampton will be.

One of his coaches, defensive pass game coordinator Thomas Allen (Tom Allen’s son), still wants to see the Sarasota, Fla., native take another step forward in fall camp, which will begin this week.

“Elliot had a good spring,” the younger Allen said. “It looks really good, but he’s got a lot of work to do, like the rest of them do. But yeah, he had a really good spring.”

The older Allen followed that up with a challenge for Clemson’s newest corner, one that was often absent from the Tigers’ secondary last year.

“My challenge to (Washington) has just been consistency,” he said. “Hey, there’s an expectation. 

This is how I believe you’re going to play and I want to see you do that every single day, every single week, no matter what happened the last play, whatever, man. Just a consistent execution, a consistent approach every single day because he can be as good as he wants to be.”

Now, after a few months out of the limelight, Clemson football is entering its final preparation period, a stretch of 14 practices over the next two weeks in fall camp, ahead of its season-opening game at LSU on Sept. 5.

The game will feature LSU coach Lane Kiffin’s first game at Tiger Stadium, and will be an immediate test for defensive players like Washington. Last season, Ole Miss finished with the best passing and total offense in the SSEC under Kiffin. While it is a different team at a different school that Clemson will be playing, the ACC’s Tigers can expect a challenge defensively.

And Tiger fans can expect to see Washington in the throws of the action.