CLEMSON — In the off-season, Tom Allen made an asserted effort to improve the defense.
How did he do it?
He went to the transfer portal and got some help. He also changed things up on his coaching staff, as he fired Mickey Conn as safeties coach and passing game coordinator on defense.
Allen promoted his son, Thomas Allen, to passing game coordinator, hired Nolan Turner as his new safeties coach and also brought in Corico Wright as his nickels back coach, replacing DeAndre McDaniel, who is serving another role on Dabo Swinney’s staff.
In the portal, Allen went and got 10 players, four in the secondary, one at linebacker and five defensive tackles. Two of the defensive tackles—Kourtney Kelly and Marcus Strong—went down with serious knee injuries, while Ole Miss literally came and stole linebacker Luke Ferrelli out of class last January.
Corey Myrick and Jerome Carter were just what the doctor ordered for the safety positions, while Elliot Washington and Donovan Starr have helped stabilize the corner position opposite Ashton Hampton.
Defensive End
Will Heldt leads the Tigers in sacks (4) and tackles for loss (6.5), but he did not play well against LSU and did not make much of an impact in the Miami game. With 17 tackles and two quarterback pressures, he is having a good year, but there is still so much more on the table for him to accomplish. London Merritt has been a bright spot on the defense, especially with Jahiem Lawson being so up and down. Merritt has emerged as one of the Tigers’ top pass rushers, as he has produced a sack, two tackles for loss, three quarterback pressures and four deflected passes. Lawson has 15 tackles, one sack and three QBPs through five games.
Grade: C
Defensive Tackle
When the Tigers landed Kelly and Strong out of the portal, they thought they solidified a unit that lacked experience. However, Kelly tore his ACL in the spring and Strong did the same in the LSU game. Vic Burley got arrested for disorderly conduct and missed the first two games due to a suspension. Clemson also lost Hevin Brown-Shuler, who was diagnosed with cancer in the spring. Amare Adams has not played well at times, and though Makhi Williams Lee and Champ Thompson have played okay, their inexperience shows in big moments. Andy Burburija and Devarrick Woods were late editions to the roster and have contributed but they just have not played enough big-time football to make a difference, yet.
Grade: D
Linebackers
Early in the season Sammy Brown was trying to do too much. He was overshooting his lanes, missing tackles and did not look as confident as he did the previous two seasons. He has since fixed things, becoming the All-American candidate that we expected him to be. He is third on the team with 40 tackles, including two for loss, pass breakup and 2 QBP. The Tigers have tried several players to replace Ferrelli, and in the first two weeks they did not work. However, they seem to settle on Jeremiah Alexander at middle linebacker and Brown at weakside. Fletcher Cothran and Kobe McCloud have come as of late and have started to provide Brown and Alexander some much needed help. Linebackers, like at defensive end, still have room for improvement.
Grade: C
Safeties
Myrick leads the Tigers with 51 tackles and has one broken up pass. Carter has 42 tackles and has not allowed anyone to get behind him all year. His heads up play on fourth down-and-short in the UNC game helped seal the Tigers’ win. The two safeties have also been referred to by Swinney as sticky when they help in coverage. Ronan Hanafan has been the third safety and has helped with the rover and nickel positions in Allen’s scheme and has improved a lot since last season. He has 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, sack and two QBPs.
Grade: A
Cornerbacks
Speaking of sticky, no one has been as sticky as Hampton. He currently leads the nation in passes defended and has one interception to go with 19 tackles. He has nine passes defended. Washington has been just as productive. He ranks third in the country with three interceptions, four broken up passes and 17 tackles. Nickel back Corian Gipson is out for the season with a knee injury, but when he played he played well. Starr, Branden Strozier, Misun Kelley and Marcell Gipson will all help at the nickel spot.
Grade: A
Overall
Clemson has faced two of the top offenses in the country in LSU and Miami. They failed miserably against LSU, but they held their own against Miami for much of the game and limited its offense well below its average in scoring, rushing, passing and total offense. The secondary shut one of the best receivers in the country down in Malachi Toney, while quarterback Darian Mensah had his worst game of the season in terms of completions, completion percentage and yards. I think the defense will improve greatly on this grade before the season is out, as it appears they have improved a lot since the LSU game.
Grade: C+