The chemistry between Clemson's new Defensive Coordinator Tom Allen and Head Coach Dabo Swinney is more than just professional; it's a deep alignment of values and philosophies that Allen finds "awesome." Despite not being close friends before, Allen revealed the surprising similarities that fuel their strong working relationship.
"I just think there's a lot of similarities," Allen explained at Media Day, noting they had only met a handful of times previously. "We read the same books, you know, we have a lot of the same values. We have a similar philosophy on life, what's important to us."
Allen praised Swinney's positive outlook: "He's a positive person and believes to focus on things in that regard and it makes that your emphasis instead of what we can't do or what's what uh you know things might be negative around you we focus on the things that you can do."
The shared commitment to accountability and love is also a cornerstone. "We see things the same way, value our family, our faith is important to us, we're going to hold people accountable a lot of love man he's he's a bulldog now and uh with his coaches and with uh our players and it don't matter who you are."
Allen finds Swinney's consistent approach inspiring, taking notes whenever he speaks to the team. "We have a similar mindset, We really do, and I think that's probably the biggest key... it excites me to be around a person that uh you know shares those same things." This deep alignment, Allen concluded, was a key factor that "attracted me here," allowing him to genuinely "sell Clemson" based on shared beliefs about building relationships, teams, and a special culture.