Tom Allen's Clemson defense set to face bevy of talented quarterbacks |
Grayson Mann
-
- Monday, April 21 2025
Dabo Swinney joked that Clemson would find out incredibly early what Tom Allen was made of with LSU coming into town.
That kind of test for your debut at a new school is a rare but exciting challenge for Clemson’s new defensive coordinator. LSU will bring all kinds of weapons into hostile territory on August 30th, throwing the kitchen sink at the ACC Tigers’ new look defense. Highlighted by former Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown and potential 2026 first-round quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, Allen will have his hands full from the jump.
That challenge, however, extends beyond Brian Kelly’s new batch of toys.
Clemson’s path back to the College Football Playoff features several other programs with either top quarterbacks or offenses reloading with talent.
The Tigers open and close the regular season against elite quarterback play, traveling to Columbia to face LaNorris Sellers, considered among the batch of the top signal callers entering 2025.
What is there to make of who stands between those two enormous challenges?
Starting with Clemson’s conference opener, Haynes King and Brent Key are slowly building something in Atlanta.
Besides Cade Klubnik, King is the only P4 quarterback who has stayed with the same offensive coordinator for three straight seasons.
North Carolina is the Tigers’ first October clash, and the Tar Heels seemingly got better through the spring portal.
Gio Lopez, who posted 23 total touchdowns to only five turnovers in his second year at South Alabama, looks to compete for the job under Bill Belichick. Clemson struggled against mobile quarterbacks with dual-threat capabilities, which will be another test of how much growth Allen can achieve quickly.
Two weeks later, Clemson welcomes Kevin Jennings and SMU, who played well in a comeback effort against the Tigers in the ACC Championship.
The no-huddle pace of SMU’s offense threw this unit off at times in December, adding a different type of challenge for the Tigers to combat.
Besides South Carolina, November will feature three matchups with transfer quarterbacks. At the very least, Clemson will see two of them at home.
Starting with Duke, who added the top quarterback in the portal, Darian Mensah. The former Green Wave signal caller tossed 22 touchdowns to only six interceptions in 2024 and brings the Blue Devils an upgrade at the position they desperately missed last fall.
Florida State added Thomas Castellanos in December, who collected 31 total touchdowns before doing an Irish Goodbye to Boston College as the 2024 season neared its conclusion.
Louisville paired itself with USC’s Miller Moss, who joins a Cardinal team that bested Clemson in Death Valley last November.
Allen has spent the spring inserting his DNA into a Clemson defense that needed a change in leadership, and so far, the returns appear to be positive.
Despite all of that, the only results that matter will be what Allen helps produce on the field. Looking at who he is slated to face in his first year with the Tigers, that challenge will feature plenty of unique tests.
LSU will show Tiger fans what Allen is capable of early, but that is only the first of many examinations he will have to pass.
Upgrade Your Experience!
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now!
