Clemson star D-lineman says this group will 'thrive' under Tom Allen, special season ahead

TJ Parker says this Clemson defense will thrive under Tom Allen.

Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Wednesday, April 09 2025

CLEMSON — In his first two seasons at Clemson, junior defensive end T.J. Parker has been a force to be reckoned with. Despite the struggles of the defensive line last year, Parker had 11 sacks and six forced fumbles.

Although Parker was not the star of the show in Saturday’s spring game, it was an opportunity to see other players on Clemson’s roster get a chance to showcase their talent. Many players took advantage of this opportunity. One player who stood out to Parker and throughout the spring game was redshirt freshman defensive end Darien Mayo.

In the spring game, Mayo recorded a sack and a couple of tackles for loss. His presence was felt on the field throughout the game. Another standout to Parker was redshirt sophomore Markus Dixon. Dixon spent his first two seasons with Clemson as a tight end but has now shifted to the defensive side of the ball. On Saturday, Dixon also recorded a sack and multiple tackles for loss.

“Darien Mayo. He’s had a great spring. He’s been getting a lot better all spring, and then just the show (out there) today. He had a real good day. So, I’m so proud of him,” Parker said. “I’m proud of Markus Dixon for making that transition from tight end to D-end. That’s not always easy. So, just seeing him put in that work every day and try to get better, it’s been amazing to watch.”

Mayo, Dixon, and the rest of the defense will benefit from learning from new defensive coordinator Tom Allen this season. One of Allen’s principles is discipline when it comes to the fundamentals of tackling. He also brings a lot of energy and confidence to the defense.

“He’s brought a lot of juice, and I really love that. He brings a lot of confidence to the team, instills it in us every day that we can do whatever it takes, makes the defense simple for us so we can play fast and play to our strengths, which I love about him. He’s a guy you can go to his office, sit and chill with every day… My connection with him, my relationship with him is strong,” Parker said. “I’m excited just to have him here with us. His defense style of play and his passion that he has towards the game, anybody can thrive in it. So, I’m happy that I can have my abilities and his coaching abilities together. It’s going to be one hell of a season.”

Another major change this season is Clemson’s use of the transfer portal. The expectation was never that head coach Dabo Swinney revamp the entire team with the portal but rather to use the transfer portal to find players that fit with Clemson’s culture and greatest weaknesses. That finally occurred this offseason. One of the transfers is defensive end Will Heldt, who spent the previous two seasons with Purdue.

During his two seasons with the Boilermakers, Heldt played in 24 games, recording 68 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and five sacks. Given Clemson’s defensive line struggles last season, particularly against the run, Heldt is an addition that can help the Tiger defense be dominant, just like Penn State’s defense was last season with Allen as their defensive coordinator.

“(Heldt)’s brought that energy. He loves football. One thing about him, he’s always trying to do some extra work, get better, and that pushes everybody. We needed somebody extra to do that with,” Parker said. “So, for him to come in, it makes everybody compete and levels up everybody and him being who he is. He’s just a great locker room guy, great on the field, just all-in.”

With Allen, Heldt, and linebacker Jeremiah Alexander, who transferred from Alabama, this Clemson defense should be much improved from last season. The Tigers were also a very young and inexperienced defense last year. Now, they have some experience under their belts. Parker said he did not believe Clemson played to its potential last season but promised that will not occur this year.

“I don’t think we performed to the best that we could … We (are) going to have a different edge to it this year (because) I’m tired of everything that happened last year. I was tired of it, promise it won’t be the same this year,” Parker said. “We got a new defense, same standard - go out there, dominate, do what we got to do, and we’ll handle that.”