Less than three months into his new job at Clemson, Tom Allen is having a tremendous impact on the Tigers’ defense.

Allen, who was hired away from Penn State in January, is in the midst of his first spring as the Clemson defensive coordinator. After a 2024 season that saw the Tigers not live up to the standard on that side of the ball, Allen is tasked with turning the Tigers back into an elite defensive unit.

With spring practice now winding down ahead of Saturday’s spring game, one thing is certain. There is a different vibe surrounding the defense, and it all starts with Allen.

“I love coach Allen,” Peter Woods said after Saturday’s practice. “I tell everybody, I would run through a wall for that man. He brings so much energy to the defense, beyond scheme and stuff. Just the person that he is. He is a challenger. He’s going to make you uncomfortable in every situation. When you think you are the best that you can be, he is going to prove to you that you have so much better to get.”

One thing that has been notably different this spring is the energy Allen brings to the job. Not to mention how he is prioritizing the fundamentals. The veteran defensive coordinator has been repeatedly heard telling his defense that he expects them to be the best tackling group in the nation, an area the Tigers did not excel in a season ago.

“Energy, for real,” Woods added. “Energy and effort and all those different components that make you great players and coaches. They are contagious.”

With Allen, there are no days off. He brings it to the practice field each and every day, and he expects the same from his players. That kind of attitude is contagious and it’s already rubbing off, something his players are embracing with open arms.

“Maybe I am coming out there, and I am not having the day I want to pre-practice,” Woods said. “I see him head-butting Wade Woodaz pre-practice when we stretching, I am immediately going to wake up and be like, ‘Ok, let’s go. We got work to do. Let’s go. Coach Allen got that energy, and I need to.’ He’s just been a great leader for us and very easy to follow. Very good footsteps to follow in my leadership journey.”