CLEMSON – Big changes have come to the Clemson defense.

On Wednesday, head coach Dabo Swinney introduced Tom Allen as the Tigers’ new defensive coordinator. Swinney was able to hire Allen away from Penn State, where he spent a season running the Nittany Lions defense and coaching the linebackers.

However, Allen won’t be specific to the linebackers at Clemson. Swinney outlined a restructuring of the way some things will be handled during Allen’s tenure, and while he will be a part of coaching the linebackers, he won’t be specific to the position.

“He will run our defense, he is going to coach everything,” Swinney said during Allen’s introductory press conference on Wednesday. “A lot like the NFL. He will start with the linebacker room as far as coordinating the defense from the linebacker room.”

Swinney also revealed that Allen will not go out on the road recruiting. With the contact period ramping back up starting on Thursday, the Tigers will send Ben Boulware out on the road instead.

Boulware joined the Clemson staff last season as an assistant linebackers coach and with a year under his belt, Swinney believes he is ready for an expanded role.

“We’ve got Ben,” Swinney added. “We are in the process of kind of finalizing some things there with that room. But (Allen) will run the defense. He’s not going to go on the road recruiting. He is going to always be with the team. I really, really like that. Ben will be out on the road (Thursday).”

Not being out on the road for the next two weeks will afford Allen the opportunity to get himself, along with everyone else on the staff up to speed much earlier than they otherwise would have had been.

“Good thing about that is he doesn’t have to hit the road tomorrow for two or two and half weeks of craziness,” Swinney said. “He will have time to be with our team. Time to transition all of our support staff that is here. Get everything meshed together from a terminology standpoint. Get on the same page there so when we do get off the road the first of February, we will be so much further ahead than what normally in the past would be the case.”

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