With his team up by 42 points at halftime, Davis Allen was able to watch the final two quarters of Calhoun (Ga.) High School’s 42-7 victory at Ringgold (Ga.) High on Friday night from the sidelines.

It was a well-earned rest for Allen, a Clemson commitment, who plays on both sides of the ball for Calhoun at tight end and linebacker every week.

The Clemson Insider’s Tour of Champions visited Ringgold High on Friday as part of our Tour of Champions and caught up with Allen afterward.

“It gets pretty tiring, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Allen said of playing both ways. “I love it. I love both sides of the ball. I just like to be out there, so I wouldn’t trade it for nothing in the world.”

Like Allen, his teammate and fellow Class of 2019 Clemson commit, Brannon Spector, plays both ways for Calhoun at wide receiver and safety.

Spector set the tone for the Yellow Jackets in their eventual rout of Ringgold, recording three receptions on Calhoun’s opening drive — including a 25-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown that put Calhoun up 7-0 less than four minutes into the game.

“He’s a stud,” Allen said of Spector. “He’s going to do big things this year, and he’s going to do big things at Clemson. I love being around him. He’s a great teammate. I can’t say enough about him.”

Allen can’t wait to team up again with Spector at Clemson, and he is also looking forward to playing with Spector’s older brother, Tigers redshirt freshman linebacker Baylon Spector.

“I am very excited,” Allen said. “I’m glad to go to Clemson with him and be up there with Baylon and their sister, who’s a cheerleader (at Clemson). It’s kind of like icing on the cake. Clemson’s a great place, but especially when you’ve got good friends going with you.”

Allen committed to Clemson on June 10, just four days after receiving an offer from the Tigers following his performance at the Dabo Swinney Camp. He chose Clemson over offers from Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Duke, Wake Forest and others.

Reflecting on the Clemson offer and commitment, Allen called it a “big relief.”

“I’ve always loved Clemson,” he said. “I don’t have to say who they are – they’re just one of the best in the country. In my opinion, they’re the best. … When I got the offer, it was kind of just like a relief came off my shoulders, like I know this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Allen communicates regularly with Clemson’s coaches and looks forward to playing for Swinney at the next level.

“I can’t say enough about him either,” Allen said of Clemson’s head coach. “He’s a man of his word. You see what you get, and I can’t wait to be up there with him. I’m very blessed, very thankful that I get to be under his wing.”

As he prepares to play big-time college football, Allen has a great mentor to lean on for guidance and advice in his father, John, a former linebacker at Georgia.

“He said to take it all in and trust God because it’s a process,” Davis said of his dad’s advice. “It doesn’t just come overnight. Be thankful for the opportunities you have and just enjoy it. Take it all in because not a lot of people get to do that, so just be thankful and blessed.”

Davis is one of Clemson’s two tight end commitments in the 2019 class along with Riverdale (Ga.)’s Jaelyn Lay.

Davis is planning to visit Clemson for Saturday’s game vs. Syracuse and said he will be at Death Valley for the NC State and South Carolina games as well.