TAKE ADVANTAGE → Get THREE Months of CST+ for just $1.00
For Clemson junior defensive back Shelton Lewis, the 2025 season represents more than just a return to the field; it’s a chance to reclaim the form that once made him one of the ACC’s most promising young defenders.
Lewis burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2023 with seven pass breakups, two interceptions, and a highlight-reel 46-yard pick-six. But his sophomore campaign never fully got off the ground. A knee injury sidelined him for the opener against Georgia and four total games, including three straight in the second half of the season.
He sat out spring practice to continue rehabbing. Now, as fall camp grinds toward the Aug. 30 opener against No. 9 LSU, Lewis says he’s finally back to full speed.
“It feels good just building that camaraderie with your team. New DC, just coming together as a team,” Lewis said after practice. “Going through the hurt with each other, going through the grind, going through practices, going through the weight room, it just feels great. So I can’t complain.”
That new defensive coordinator is Tom Allen, the former Penn State defensive coordinator and Indiana head coach who has brought a fresh energy and a clear set of values to Clemson’s defense.
“He brought accountability, love, toughness. His three pillars he relies on,” Lewis explained. “He teaches us to go out there, have goals for each day, and focus on what we can control as a defense. We’re gonna play fast.”
Allen has made tackling a point of emphasis after it became a glaring issue in 2024. Lewis said the Tigers are now running regular tackling circuits, sometimes at a walk-through pace, other times full speed, to lock in proper technique.
“We just want to make sure we get the technique right,” Lewis said. “So when we’re out there full speed, we know how to tackle near their shoulder, wrap up, and be physical at the point of attack. That’s what he harps on.”
Lewis is projected to start at nickel in Allen’s scheme, the same spot he manned most of last year under Wes Goodwin. But with cornerback Jeadyn Lukus dealing with an injury, Lewis could see significant snaps outside against LSU’s dangerous wide receiver corps.
“Wherever the team needs me, I’m trying to get there and be the best I can,” he said of rotating between nickel and cornerback this fall.
If he takes snaps at corner, a matchup with LSU receiver Barion Brown, a Kentucky transfer, could bring him full circle on Aug. 30. In the 38-35 Gator Bowl win over Kentucky in 2023, Lewis started at corner and covered Brown a few times. Brown scored three touchdowns that night, including a 60-yard reception.
Asked if Clemson’s defense has zeroed in on stopping Brown this time, Lewis kept the focus broader.
“We’re just trying to focus on what we control — getting the game plan down, executing what we’ve got to do, coming together as a defense,” he said when asked about Brown's phenomenal day. “Control what we can control and play complementary football.”
Brown will be part of one of the nation’s deepest receiving units, joined by returners Aaron Anderson and Chris Hilton Jr., along with transfers Destyn Hill (Florida State) and Nic Anderson (Oklahoma).
But Lewis insists the Tigers’ mindset won’t change.
“We’re going to approach every game like we’re playing the top receivers,” he said. “Any team we play, we’re going to give the same approach fom Monday all the way to game day. Like I said, it’s the accountability, the toughness, the love that DC brought. We attack every day, no matter who we play. We just focus on Clemson.”
For Lewis, that focus means being ready anywhere on the field, slot or outside, and leading a secondary determined to be sharper, more physical, and more consistent than it was a year ago.
