CLEMSON – When the 2025 season came to a close, Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen and his staff made an assertive effort to get better.

The Tigers were not good in the secondary. They also struggled to rush the passer. Though they got better against the run, there was still work to be done there, too.

In other words, Clemson needed an overhaul on the defensive side of the ball.

The 25,000 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday saw a little bit of Clemson’s overhaul on defense.

The Orange and White teams in the spring game combined to allow just 331 yards. They had 10 sacks and allowed just 2.3 yards per carry.

“You got to take it with grain of salt. Obviously, we could not take the quarterback down,” said defensive tackle Vic Burley, who was credited with 2.5 sacks in the spring game. “But we are going to continue to work on it and when we get to the season, and I can actually hit the quarterback, it is going to get (finished).”

After several players from last year’s defense either left or graduated, Clemson hit the transfer portal hard on the defensive side of the ball. They went and brought in cornerbacks Elliott Washington II and Donovan Star, safeties Jerome Carter III and Corey Myrick, defensive ends London Merritt and C.J. Wesley and defensive tackles Markus Strong and Kourtney Kelley.

Except for Kelley, who was out with a knee injury, all the others made an impact in the spring game.

“I do not have any words for it right now,” Washington said when asked what the defense might look like in the fall. “It is going to be (good) for sure. I see that with my own two eyes.”

Merrit had 2.5 sacks to go with four overall tackles in the spring game. He finished with three tackles for loss and one quarterback pressure.

Strong had a couple of tackles, Carter and Myrick were in a couple of tackles as well, while there were no deep passes allowed all afternoon.

“I think it has really brought everybody together,” said Washington. “We got a whole bunch of people who came (in), so I feel like all of us ended up clicking, and then we started to be around the guys, and it made everybody feel like, ‘We got the same mission. We are all trying to accomplish the same thing.’

“So, we all put our head down and went to work.”

And there is still work to be done, but it appears the Tigers are moving in the right direction on the defensive side of the football.

“I feel like everyone is coming together and knowing that what we want to win,” Washington said. “It is not just individuals, but it is everybody as a team.”

Clemson opens the 2026 season at LSU on Sept. 5.