Sometimes you watch a team and think, “Man, they’re just one piece away.” That was Clemson in 2024. Ten wins, an ACC title, and an offense dropping nearly 35 points a game. But their defense? Let’s just say it was like a door with a busted lock. Looked fine until someone gave it a real push. Dabo Swinney knew it too. If 2025 was gonna be the year for a natty run, he had to fix that leak. He went out and put $6 million on the table for arguably one of the best defensive minds in the college football world.

Swinney went and poached one of the best in the game: Tom Allen from Penn State. The guy’s 2024 Nittany Lions unit? Filthy. Seventh in total defense, eighth in scoring defense, giving up just 16.5 a game. They were stingy against the run, around 102 yards per outing, and vicious in t

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