Clemson's improved secondary still learning to handle success. FSU near-comeback is latest example.
· Yahoo Sports
Nov. 6—CLEMSON — Clemson's defensive backs are playmakers. It's what they were taught to be.
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"Regardless of whatever is called, you're one play away from the ESPN song — duh-nuh-nuh, duh-nuh-nuh — So we're always on edge," cornerbacks coach Mike Reed said. "So I don't care what coach calls, you know? We got to do it."
So far, the mentality seems to be working. But the finished product is far from complete.
Clemson's secondary is 57th in the nation, allowing just over 200 yards passing per game this season. It's 35th with seven interceptions and 7th with 39 total pass breakups.
It's a major change from last year's unit, which finished the season with nine total picks and the nation's 120th passing defense, allowing over 250 yards per game.
The change didn't happen overnight or by chance.
Slowly but surely, defensive coordinator Tom Allen has put things in place to get a major boost out of his unit from year one as Clemson's DC to year two. His son, Thomas Allen, took on a more significant role with the passing defense midway through 2025 and was promoted to defensive passing game coordinator in 2026.
Clemson also underwent its most extensive transfer portal makeover since the portal was created in 2018. Its 11 portal signees this offseason are more than each previous year combined. Nine of those signees were defensive players, and four were defensive backs.
Each of the secondary's portal additions — Elliott Washington II, Jerome Carter III, Corey Myrick and Donovan Starr — have played significant roles in the defensive backfield. The group, combined with homegrown future NFL draft pick Ashton Hampton, have made it possible for Allen to call his defense the way he intended upon arriving to Clemson last season, relying on solid coverage in order to bring substantial blitz pressure at the line of scrimmage.
The secondary continued to show its improved ways in a 36-24 win against Florida State on Oct. 31. Seminoles quarterback Ashton Hampton threw three interceptions against the Clemson secondary in the game.
But a late FSU near-comeback, in which the 'Noles scored back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter after being down 29-10, came as a result of late lapses by the same unit which dominated most of the game. FSU scored on the first drive after being set up by a 52-yard completion, and the second touchdown came on a 41-yard pass into the end zone.
"We didn't handle success very well," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "We've handled some adversity pretty good, but now all of a sudden it's 29-10 with 10 minutes to play in the game, and we just do some dumb stuff. Kind of lost our focus a little bit."
Swinney said the two big completions took place as a result of lacking situational awareness. Carter and Starr were in the wrong position in coverage, leading to the first big completion. The second, which brought FSU within six points with just over five minutes left, happened because Washington tried to jump a screen pass that ended up not being a screen at all.
The latter mistake might've come from the playmaking mentality that's been hammered home to the group.
"He was a little aggressive, thinking maybe he's gonna get another pick, as opposed to, how about let's let him catch the screen and just tackle him?" Swinney said. "Almost catastrophic. Two horrible plays. Calls were fine. Execution of it and the awareness of the situation we were in, not very good."
Swinney added that players not being situationally aware falls on coaching. He also gave Washington credit for coming back the next play and breaking up a two-point conversion. Washington also reeled in his second interception of the day on the following drive to end the game.
While Swinney and Clemson are still pushing its secondary for more, there's no doubt about one thing: Clemson is better off with playmakers getting caught trying to make plays, rather than a group of corners who can't make the plays in the first place.
"We gotta finish the game stronger. We want to be the best secondary in the country, and we can't give up a couple of easy, dumb plays like that off of just not being focused," Hampton said. "That's definitely not our standard. ... We're gonna make sure that, when we're going through this week in practice, we fix that and come out against Syracuse on Saturday and make sure we show that."
Next up
Next up
What: Clemson (5-3, 3-2 ACC) at Syracuse (4-4, 2-4)
When: Saturday, noon
Where: Syracuse, N.Y.
TV: ESPN2
Reach Jackson Castellano at [email protected]. Follow him on X @jaxacastellano.
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