After two decades watching Tigers come and go through the Allen Reeves Football Complex, I’ve seen my share of big-name arrivals. But what Elliot Washington II is doing right now? That’s a crash course in how to become a Clemson difference-maker from day one.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound corner from Sarasota, Florida, hasn’t just blended in—he’s taken over the spring. Ask anyone who’s watched practice lately: Washington is blazing fast, physical, and has that Tiger swagger you need to lock down your side of the field in Death Valley.
And when Dabo Swinney starts singing your praises—especially when he’s not one to hand out compliments just for showing up—you know you’re doing something special.
“Elliot Washington has been by far to me the best guy in camp,” Swinney said following the Tigers’ first scrimmage at Memorial Stadium. “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. So I’m really encouraged.”
Head Down, Work Done
But for Washington, who’s all about the grind, that kind of spotlight almost passed him by. On the 2 Right Turns podcast, he made it clear he’s not chasing headlines—he’s chasing greatness.
“I’m not really in tune to stuff like that. I just put my head down and work,” Washington said. “So my pops sent that to me out of nowhere, so I just clicked it. I listened to it, I was smiling the whole video.”
Getting that nod from the head man gave the former four-star a rare chance to look up and appreciate how far he’s come.
“It feels great because it’s like… you know how long you put in so much work and just all the sacrifices you make just to get to that point,” Washington said. “But there’s still work to be done. I’m not stopping there.”
Reunited and Ready
Washington landed in Clemson this January with one year left and a familiar coach waiting for him. He played three seasons at Penn State, including 12 games last fall under now-Tiger defensive coordinator Tom Allen. Last year, he racked up 18 tackles, picked off a pass, and took a blocked field goal 35 yards to the house against Iowa—a play that shows just how electric he can be.
In 36 games at Penn State, Washington piled up 53 tackles and broke up nine passes. Now, back with Allen in the Upstate, that chemistry is already making the Tiger secondary look like a group ready to make life miserable for ACC offenses this fall.
A former top-60 national recruit out of Venice High School, Washington carWashington was a top-60 recruit out of Venice High, and his dad, Elliot, made his mark on the hardwood at Alabama back in the day. But here in Tiger Town, the younger Washington is building his own legacy, one pick at a time.