Note: The following appears in the LSU football gameday program.
In his first season with the Tigers, Tom Allen is already making a lasting impact on the Clemson culture, reaching far greater than football. Clemson’s new defensive coordinator brings an impressive resumé, with his most recent successes at Penn State.
In his time with the Nittany Lions, he helped lead the team to its first College Football Playoff berth in program history along with a 13-win season and seventh-place finish in the nation in total defense. He has 33 years of coaching experience spanning all levels of football, including time as head coach at Indiana.
However, Allen is more than his stats and accolades. He values character, culture and faith, making Clemson the obvious choice for him.
“We (Allen and Head Coach Dabo Swinney) have a very similar philosophy of how you build a team and what you should emphasize as you build relationships and trust within your room or your side of the ball,” explained Allen. “He was very transparent about what it was really like being here, and that sealed everything into my mind, and it’s been what we thought it was.”
Allen jumped right in on building relationships upon arrival, getting to know his players in countless one-on-one meetings throughout the offseason.
“When I first got here, I met with all of them individually and took down everything about them…who raised them, siblings, what sports they played in high school, major, why they picked Clemson.
“I finished by asking critical questions, for example, ‘What are the three most important things in your life?’ It says a lot about what they value. It’s like anything else…you can’t motivate someone and you can’t really push them and help them become special or great if you don’t know them.”
He took it one step deeper, asking them about their faith or their stance on other topics. He is not only a coach, but a mentor, walking alongside these men through their life outside of football.
“When you try to help them grow in their faith, it sends a strong message that it’s bigger than football. I’m clear with our guys. I tell them, ‘There’s two things I know for sure…you can’t play football forever and we’re not gonna live forever, so let’s make sure we know what’s going to be at the end of both of those.’
“It begins that opportunity, and then it grows from there. I get the guys books, and then it creates conversation. I met with them again after spring ball, following up on everything we talked about, creating that constant communication and caring about them as a person.”
Allen’s past victories are a testament to the efficacy and success of this method of coaching, which he plans to continue in Tigertown.
“I had no part in creating any of that at Penn State, but I was blessed to be a part of continuing that legacy,” added Allen. “When I was at Ole Miss, we had the No. 1 defense in the country. So I had been around two places that had that kind of thing, and then in the end, it’s more player development from a personal perspective, but also on the field. I try to find those guys who you could develop.”
Despite all of his accomplishments, Allen, whose son, Thomas, is also on staff at Clemson, always directs them back to the player and their development that creates the success, rather than his own efforts. This encouragement and humility combined with hardcore motivation and drive is Allen’s key to success, which Tiger fans will get to see on full display this season.
