After initially coaching from the coaches’ box this season, Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen made the decision to move down to the field.

Allen says “there’s no magic” in him being on the field as opposed to the coaches’ box. However, he does feel his move to coaching from the field rather than the box has been “a positive thing, without question.”

In fact, Allen admits that perhaps he should have moved down to the field sooner than he did this season.

“I love being on the field,” Allen said on Tuesday. “I’ve been down on the field most of my career. I feel very comfortable down there. I love being in there with the guys. I feel more emotionally connected with them, and also I think it helps me, because I do think we’re not an oozing-with-confidence defense.

“So that’s where I kind of, looking back at it, maybe I should’ve been down there earlier, just because of that. But at the same time, you kind of go through different things, and I made the decision, and you’ve got to live with that.”

During Clemson’s blowout win at North Carolina on Oct. 4, Allen did something he had not done all season to that point – he called the game from the sideline. After the Tigers’ 38-10 victory, head coach Dabo Swinney revealed Allen decided to make the move, after previously calling the game from the box up top.

Allen says he had to talk himself into moving up to the box last season when he was Penn State’s defensive coordinator. It ended up working out well for him there, and that’s why he decided to stay up in the box at the beginning of this season.

“I had to kind of like talk myself into going up there a year ago, and then I felt like it was very positive for a variety of reasons,” he said. “So, that’s why I chose to stay up there, because of different things that we use now with technology and the different things we have and the communication and all that.”

But Allen is glad he came back down to the field. He believes it’s where he needs to be — and it’s where he intends to stay.

Coaching from the field helps Allen be a more direct and motivational presence for his players, while also allowing him to make face-to-face adjustments over the course of a game.

“I just feel like just being able to look them in the eye and being able to just totally be right there with them and make those adjustments face to face instead of on the headset is very important,” he said. “So, I definitely will be staying down there, and I’m glad I am.”