CLEMSON -- Dabo Swinney made multiple moves after last season to address a defense that failed to live up to the standard at Clemson in 2024.
One of those moves was hiring Tom Allen away from Penn State to run the defense. Another was signing DE Will Heldt out of the transfer portal.
Heldt's addition provides a big boost to a defensive end room that struggled with consistency in the spot opposite T.J. Parker. The Tigers needed more stability at the position, and Heldt provides just that.
"He's big young man, he's a big man," Allen said. "265 pounds and just has so much length to him. So much toughness. He lives in that weight room. He is doing extra stuff all the time."
The Tigers' run defense struggled mightily a season ago, with much of that due to an inability to set the edge. That is one of the reasons Swinney hired Allen to oversee the defense and it is part of the reason Heldt was brought on board.
The other reason was to give Clemson another legitimate pass rusher opposite Parker. During his two seasons at Purdue, Heldt tallied 56 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks and one fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown.
Allen is anxious to see Heldt produce at that level for his defense at Clemson.
"Love his motor, high care factor," Allen added. "Awesome young man. Really excited that he is here. Really thrilled to be his coach, and I have seen him mature and grow so much the last few years. I think that he is going to help us a lot and he is going to have a big role for this team. He is going to help us be a special defense."
While Allen and Heldt are both new to Clemson, it's not like they are unfamiliar with one another. Allen has played against Heldt while he was at Purdue in each of the past two seasons. Once while he was still at Indiana, and then last season while he was defensive coordinator at Penn State.
That means Allen has gotten a close look at what Heldt is capable of, and the Tigers' new defensive coordinator fully believes the junior defensive end is just scratching the surafce.
"His growth the past two years has been impressive," Allen said. "We played against him when I was at both Indiana and Penn State. His growth from his freshman year to last year was extensive. Even from then until now, he just continues to develop."