It is amazing what a difference a month can make! After giving up 51 points in defeat at LSU, Clemson has found itself amid a defensive renaissance. While beating Georgia Southern and North Carolina in Weeks 2 and 3 did not really move the needle nationally, the way the Tigers looked throughout their Week 4 road game at Cal was certainly impressive. They made Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele look awful.
While the additions of Jerome Carter III and Corey Myrick out of the transfer portal have been huge for this defense, Friday night's stars were undeniably Ashton Hampton and Elliot Washington II. Hampton played like a first-round lock last night with three passes defended. It was reminiscent to a vintage AJ Terrell game for the Tigers. As for Washington, he has three picks over the last two games.
Given that Clemson's defensive backfield was such a glaring weakness only a season ago, this rapid transformation under Tom Allen's guidance is driving this team to be great once again. Of course, the offense is still very much a work in progress under Chad Morris with true freshman Tait Reynolds in at quarterback. However, Clemson may very well have the best secondary in the ACC, possibly in FBS?
According to PFF, Clemson's two cornerbacks played like All-Americans against Cal.
— Griffin Barfield (@BarfieldGriffin) September 26, 2026
Receivers covered by Ashton Hampton: 2 REC, 10 YDS
Receivers covered by Elliot Washington II: 1 REC, 9 YDS, two interceptions.
Tom Allen's can get even better because of Clemson's elite secondary
For as frustrating as last season was, last night's road win over Cal certainly felt great. In all honesty, it might be one of Dabo Swinney's favorite wins in a long time. Clemson played truly complementary football in a trying spot and prevailed marvelously over the Golden Bears. This was not possible without the tremendous play of the secondary. The defensive backfield were technicians all night.
The best part about their performance was not just completely limiting Sagapolutele in the passing game, but they gave the rest of the defense such insurmountable confidence. The pass rush is improving with London Merritt rising to Will Heldt's occasion. The much-maligned defensive line is starting to show some bite. While the linebacking corps often gets overlooked, it is solid per usual.
Simply put, Allen has the ideal position group he can lean on through ACC play. Although the Miami game may prove otherwise, how many other teams will Clemson be facing in-conference who can even test the Tigers' secondary? This gives Clemson opportunities to get a little more creative in the front seven because the back-end of this defense is not going to be letting them down anytime soon.
Of the many outcomes that were possible on Friday night in Berkeley, Clemson winning with relative margin by completely neutralizing the Cal offense was not in the cards. Against all odds, it happened. As we look ahead with this team, we are seeing a group play as a confident collective. Last season's shortcomings will not undermine this year's team. This is not a perfect group, but it is improving fast.
Clemson is forging its identity before our very eyes, one where it is so hard to pass on the Tigers.
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