CLEMSON – Throughout all of Clemson’s spring, summer and fall practices this year, the coaches persistently pushed one specific message.

Collectively, they agreed that Elliot Washington II was going to be a problem. In a good way, of course.

Washington, a cornerback who joined Clemson’s 2026 roster out of the transfer portal this past winter, did not take long to make his presence known, reuniting with defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who once coached him at Penn State.

“Elliot Washington has been by far, to me, the best guy in camp,” head coach Dabo Swinney said 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.”

According to Swinney, Washington came in hungry, adding immediate competition to a secondary that struggled in Clemson’s 7-6 campaign in 2025. Allen added that the Sarasota, Fla., native brought “a swagger and an edge that our secondary sorely needed.”

By all accounts, Washington hit the ground running– literally. The team’s social media showcased several clips of the defensive back grabbing interceptions almost daily in practices, punishing offensive mistakes as he ran the ball back in the other direction.

Since then, it has been a matter of time since Washington got to show off his knack for penalizing quarterback errors on a bigger stage, in front of fans instead of just teammates and coaches. He came close in Clemson’s spring game, barely missing an interception he should have grabbed with his opposite hand, according to Swinney. 

In the first two games this year, Washington also got dangerously close to proving his title of “takeaway winner.” In a blowout loss to LSU, he was a rare bright spot, breaking up two passes, one of which potentially saved another touchdown.

One week later, Washington kept it rolling, forcing a crucial fumble and breaking up another pass in front of an anticipatory crowd at Memorial Stadium. Still, though, the veteran was due for an interception. 

In Clemson’s 28-20 victory over North Carolina, the opportunity finally came in one of the biggest spots of the Tigers’ season thus far.

With just 32 seconds left on the clock, the Tigers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) led by eight points after two late touchdowns from running back Gideon Davidson and wide receiver Tyler Brown completed Clemson’s second-half comeback.

The Tar Heels (2-1, 0-1 ACC) had one last opportunity to tie it with a touchdown and two point conversion, and picked up a 13-yard pass for a first down on their own 25-yard line as the seconds ticked down. With UNC’s final hopes draining– along with the damp stands after a two-hour-and-25-minute weather delay – quarterback Billy Edwards dropped back to launch a pass down the middle of the field.

The ball spiraled, carried and landed straight in Washington’s arms at the Clemson 48, which he returned seven yards to the UNC 45 before sliding to the ground to preserve the victory.

“I saw me, my man, and the quarterback and the ball, that’s all I saw,” Washington said after the win. “I read the route, went to pick the ball. It was really just read the receiver, end of the game. They’re going to try to go deep. So, it’s kind of the end of the game, they have no timeouts. So he broke the route off too short. So I read it and broke on it.”

Throughout the play, in between deciphering his approach angle, the quarterback’s intentions and the receiver’s route, Washington only had one thing going through his head.

“First pick in Death Valley,” he said. “That’s literally all that was going through my head. That’s all I can say.”

After he ended the game, his teammates and coaches poured onto the field to celebrate.

“It was awesome, awesome, especially that he went down after,” Swinney said postgame with a laugh, noting the importance of Washington’s football IQ in that emotional moment.

It will be a full circle moment from spring practice.