Tom Allen came to Clemson for a reason. After spending one year at Penn State following his run at Indiana, he sought to become a strong Power Four coordinator to hopefully, eventually lead his own program again one day.
Dabo Swinney may be an institution leading Clemson, but he has not been challenged to the degree that he should in a constantly evolving landscape. To prove this, all Allen has to do is point to the persistent injury issues plaguing Clemson defensive tackle Vic Burley. Like clockwork, he is hurt again. More importantly, where is the depth? Why is Clemson still in a position needing to rely on him?
On Monday, Burley was spotted wearing a yellow non-contact jersey at Tigers practice. As Chapel Fowler of The State pointed out, this was the first time the senior defensive tackle from Georgia was seen wearing one since the start of fall camp.
Burley may have been doing some work on the side, but the Clemson coaching staff cannot be loving this, especially its second-year defensive coordinator...
Clemson football injury update: Senior defensive tackle Vic Burley was wearing a yellow non-contact jersey and working to the side during the team's fourth practice of fall camp this afternoon. That's a new development since Clemson started practicing last Thursday
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) August 10, 2026
After being let go at Indiana, Allen's successor, Curt Cignetti, has led the Hoosiers to the playoffs twice, including winning last year's National Championship. Meanwhile, Allen has seen his former boss James Franklin lose his job at Penn State shortly after he left, as well as Swinney's reputation at Clemson take one repeated ding after another. Something has to give within this Tigers program.
Simply put, Burley's lack of reliability has to be getting old. This harkens back to a much bigger point at play here. With Swinney being incredibly late to the transfer portal game, it has compromised Clemson's depth, specifically in the trenches. When the Tigers have been at their apex under Swinney, they maul people along the defensive line. Now, they must continue to put their trust and faith into an unreliable defensive lineman in Burley who just cannot stay healthy.
When he was calling the shots at Indiana, Allen was never too good to recruit outside his comfort zone. He regularly ventured well outside of the Midwestern footprint and into Florida. That is what it took to make Indiana a respectable program at times under his leadership.
Deep down, this must be wearing on Allen at Clemson. How can he become a Power Four head coach again when his boss is not making it a point to help him out in all areas of recruitment? Burley is a symptom of a much bigger problem for Clemson. Its depth has been compromised.
Clemson must fully embrace the transfer portal to avoid roster issues like this
So far in his Clemson career, Burley has played in 21 games over the last two years. He appeared in eight contests as a freshman in 2024 and 13 last year as a sophomore. With only 15 combined tackles to his name, his lack of on-field production stands out. It may be a result of the position he plays, but there is a standard of excellence playing up front for Clemson. Burley is not meeting it.
Before NIL changed the game in college sports forever, Clemson could out-recruit anyone out of high school. Players could transfer, but not as freely as they can now. What has to be frustrating for Allen is that he has sat in the big chair leading a Power Four team before. Now that he is at Clemson, Allen has to skate around Swinney's inherent stubbornness on the regular. He likes to think he knows everything.
Swinney may have a wealth of knowledge on his coaching staff, but he does not always use it effectively. Allen is a former Power Four head coach. So too are offensive coordinator Chad Morris (Arkansas) and offensive line coach Matt Luke (Ole Miss). While none of them were as good in those roles as Swinney has been at Clemson, their head-coaching experiences are nothing to scoff at.
Truth be told, it is more important than ever for everyone on this team to come together. The national media continues to doubt this program, firmly believing Clemson is in the midst of a downward spiral. Then again, who doesn't love a redemption arc storyline?
For any of that to happen, Swinney needs to address the elephant in the room his top assistants won't stop mentioning. Clemson is a place where you can win national titles, but the game has changed so much since the Tigers last won one. They are not in a position to think they are above recruiting players who can help them win games right away.
Evolution is a long and arduous process, but one that has become more important by the day. If Swinney wants to win another national championship at Clemson before all is said and done, he needs to lean on his top assistants like Allen, as well as fully embrace the transfer portal.
Otherwise, Clemson will be doing itself a disservice by hoping players like Burley will evolve into something they never have been. It is not his fault, but the situation he has been placed into is making it feel like it is.
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