CHARLOTTE — For Clemson to have the season it wants to have, the Tigers not only need to be better on defense, that group needs to be much-improved.

Clemson struggled mightily to stop the run a season ago, allowing 4.7 yards per carry, the most for the program since 1974. The 160.6 yards per game allowed was the worst since 2011, the year before Brent Venables’ arrival.

Most would probably agree that there is too much talent on that Clemson defense to be having those kinds of issues against the run. Dabo Swinney certainly believed that, choosing to bring in Tom Allen to run his defense.

Allen oversaw one of the best defenses in the country last season at Penn State and has decades of experience, including a long stint as a head coach at Indiana. The expectation is that he brings that kind of success to Clemson’s defense, and while the season may still be a month away, the presence of Allen has sparked a newfound confidence in players on that side of the ball, including star defensive end T.J. Parker.

“You will see a lot of improvements, believe that,” Parker said during the ACC Kickoff. “I am not going to get into too many details, but just know you are going to see a lot more fun out there.”

Parker insists that Allen’s addition will allow the unit to play more freely, which in turn will lead to more success.

“It has been going really good, I am super-excited,” Parker added. “He has brought a lot of excitement, a lot of passion, a different mindset and a different mentality to our defense. We are going to play fast, free and physical.”

At Clemson, there is a standard in place when it comes to defensive football. That standard was not met last year, but Parker believes the Tigers are on track to meet it this season with Allen at the helm.

With a front seven that also includes Peter Woods, DeMonte Capehart, Will Heldt, Sammy Brown and Wade Woddaz, along with Parker, it’s easy to see why so many are expecting drastic improvements. It’s also easy to see why all the players are fully bought in.

“Just the confidence and the way people are carrying themselves,” Parker said. “We have a lot of confidence throughout the room. Everybody. We feed off of that. We feed off of each other.”