Make a big play on Clemson's defense this fall, and you might get an unexpected reward: a helmet slap from your defensive coordinator that nearly knocks you over.
Welcome to the Tom Allen experience.
The Tigers' new defensive coordinator has injected a jolt of high-octane energy into fall camp, and his players are feeding off every bit of it. His "Tom Allen moments"—where he gets so fired up after a defensive stop that he ends up physically celebrating with, or even tackling, his own players—are quickly becoming legendary.
"I know one time during the spring... when I got a PBU, he just slapped me in the back of my head," redshirt freshman Corian Gipson said Tuesday. "I almost fell."
That raw emotion is having its intended effect.
"I’d say the energy. It’s just contagious," said defensive back Branden Strozier. "He’s fired up... gets the whole team fired up. We make plays, he’s on the field with us, so I think that just gets everybody fired up."
Freedom and Accountability
But Allen's approach is more than just sideline antics. It's a carefully crafted culture built on two core principles: freedom and accountability.
He preaches a "next play mentality," empowering his players to play fast and aggressive without the fear of making a mistake.
"He doesn’t care if you mess up, next play mentality," cornerback Shelton Lewis said. "He just allows us to work freely. He allows us to be us."
The flip side of that freedom is fierce accountability. Missed assignments or mental errors result in "up-downs or something like that," according to sophomore Ashton Hampton. But as camp has progressed, the punishment drills have dwindled—a clear sign the message is sinking in.
"Every day... everybody on the team has been buying into that," Hampton said. "And we can truly see the vision of ‘we can win a national championship’. The vision is honing in on win number one."
Coming from a Penn State defense that reached the College Football Playoff semifinal last season, Allen knows what a championship culture looks like. By adapting his scheme to Clemson's personnel and demanding accountability, he's quickly convincing his new players they have what it takes to get there.