SOTC Update: Clemson Tigers
In 2024, the offense led this team while the defense struggled to find its footing. If Tom Allen gets that defensive unit back to a high level, the sky is the limit for the 2025 Tigers.
Clemson Tigers
State of the Chart™ Recap Edition
Live All-In Ranking: 10th
Offense: 15th
Defense: 14th
2024 Results: 10-4 (7-1 in ACC)
The following information is just the beginning and everything will be updated in our first edition of the State of the Chart™ digital magazine. Slated for a launch in July of 2025, learn more about this and shoot us your email to be kept up-to-speed on launch dates and receive sneak previews…
Our paid subscribers here at Substack will get the full magazine at no cost. Consider supporting our work for just $5.99/month or $59.99 for a full year.
|||||| STATE OF THE CHART™ SUMMARY
The questions surrounding this once elite program have been focused on whether this new day and age of college football has passed their hard-headed head coach by. Dabo Swinney does not like the portal and he refuses to engage with it. A fatal flaw? Well, he proved in 2024 that he can win an ACC title and earn a spot in the first 12-team College Football Playoff without it. He is still churning out top-level talent, and even with an underperforming defensive unit (for once), it was the offense that stepped up to the plate and delivered. That talent level came in at 18th amongst all FBS schools by our cumulative data, and it was buoyed by a decent amount of luck, including a +16 turnover margin. That defense was unusually inconsistent, especially against the run, and it was enough to prompt a change in 2025. Swinney crushed his recent offensive coordinator hire, getting Garrett Riley from TCU after he helped lead the Horned Frogs to the CFP title game in 2023. He now goes out and gets veteran Tom Allen, who spent last season coordinating the defense in Happy Valley (Penn State) after a generally successful run as Indiana’s head coach. Quarterback Cade Klubnik has already reached lofty expectations and may have passed them by. With Riley and Klubnik returning and plenty of other skill position players taking steps forward, the offense should remain in good shape. Allen will have plenty of talent to work with on defense, and if that gets back to even close to the level it was prior to this ‘24 season, another ACC title game appearance is certainly in the cards, with a return to the top of the college football world remaining well within reach in 2025.
|||||| HEAD COACH AND COACHING STAFF
Dabo Swinney has his program back among the elite, both in talent level and on-field performance. Back as ACC Champions in 2024, they put together a solid season that ended in the second round of the Playoff after earning the bye. Now that Garrett Riley has the offense humming, he made the move to veteran Tom Allen as defensive coordinator to keep pace. He's even dipping his toe in the portal waters, albeit very slowly.
Coaching Staff Notes/Changes:
The big move was firing defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin after that proud defense was made to look silly against the run. That’s just not something Swinney is okay with. He brings in veteran Tom Allen, who spent last season at Penn State following his stint as head coach at Indiana from 2017-23. All things considered, this is a splash hire and could get this unit back to its usual elite level in 2025.
Note: This is a “dynamic” article; meaning we will update any information that comes in this “off-season” and post a note when impactful moves are made or news breaks.
|||||| 2024 SCHEDULE / RESULTS ANALYSIS
This was a tough schedule that includes two really brutal non-conference games, including a season opener against Georgia in Atlanta. That did not go well. But they didn’t fret. They got back on the horse and took it out on Appalachian State and their first five ACC opponents — scoring 40+ points in five of those first six wins. They were winning games by outscoring people, and that’s not the usual Dabo way. They fell to Louisville following the by at home, which was the one real head-scratcher of this slate. Post-game win expectancy says they should have won that game. They finished the regular season with a loss to South Carolina, another one of those tough non-conference games that bookended the season. They then beat upstart SMU for the ACC title but drew Texas in the round one matchup in Austin. They were overmatched in that one, ending the season.
||||||| POSITION GROUP CHECK-INS
OFFENSE: It wasn’t long ago that this offense couldn’t get anything going, and the defense won the Tigers' games. That all changed with one hire, Garrett Riley. Riley took this job after leading the TCU offense to new heights in 2023. It took a minute, but with Cade Klubnik coming of age, this really took off in 2024, getting up to 34.7 points per game (18th in FBS). They run quicker with 25 seconds between plays and throw the ball much more in Riley’s offense. As most successful offenses do, they can also move the ball on the ground. And they are now explosive, getting to 75 plays of over 30 yards, and 19 of them going for 50+ yards. They even left some points on the table with a 60% touchdown rate in the red zone. Flipping to 2025, the two key components, Riley and Klubnik, return to continue their rise to the elite level they have set out to achieve.
||| QB
Cade Klubnik has arrived. His 2024 season was nearly flawless. He made plenty of big throws and utilized his athleticism to add another element. He’s become a star and will return for what will likely be his last at the collegiate level. Christopher Vizzina is highly thought of in the program and was the backup, playing in ‘garbage time,’ which amounted to seven games (burning a redshirt) and 34 pass attempts. He’s likely being groomed to take over in 2026.
||| RB
With bellcow Phil Mafah moving on to the NFL, it appears that this will go by way of a three-way committee with Jay Haynes, David Eziomume, and promising incoming freshman Gideon Davidson even getting into the mix in 2025. Adam Randall also appears to be moving back from wide receiver to running back. Despite a general lack of experience, this will very likely develop into one of the best rooms in the ACC, with the possibility of one taking the lead and becoming a star.
||| WR
This was long regarded as the downfall of the offense, a lack of playmakers in this wide receiver room. That is no longer the case as they have three who have become go-to targets, allowing Klubnik to pick his poison and keep defenses spread out. They are all young, too. Antonio Williams is the leader, and he’ll return as a Junior. Both Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore lived up to their billing as big-time recruits in just their freshman year. With that depth, it allows Adam Randall to move back to the running back room, and just about everybody, outside of Troy Stellato’s transfer out to Kentucky, will return. Scary.
||| TE
Jake Briningstool was a weapon in this offense, providing yet another option outside of the ‘big 3’ wide receivers. He wasn’t all that efficient, hauling in 49 of 73 targets, and he wasn’t much of a blocker. He is going to the NFL in 2025. Olsen Patt-Henry was impressive in limited targets, turning 11 targets into nine catches and three touchdowns. He also showed well in pass pro and is very likely to take on a much larger role in ‘25 with fellow sophomore Josh Sapp chipping in more as well.
||| OL
This was a solid but slightly imbalanced line. RT Blake Miller and LG Marcus Tate graded out as well above average, while C Ryan Linthicum came in slightly below and RG Walker Parks and LT Tristan Leigh as average contributors. So, it wasn’t like this is a huge reason for the success in the offense. That goes to the litany of playmakers at the skill positions. Still, this was not a ‘bad’ line at all. Tate heads to the NFL and everybody else returns to build on the cohesion as the work in a new left guard from their internal options.
DEFENSE: Wes Goodwin’s defense was criticized despite being a good unit. That was the problem; the measuring stick is greatness, not simply being good. The run defense was the primary culprit, allowing 4.71 yards per carry (99th in FBS). That’s a shocking number. What’s worse, and what cost Goodwin his job, is that they are loaded with talent and didn’t perform. The pass defense was again solid, allowing 6.4 yards per attempt (24th). They allowed too many plays of over 30 yards – 49 of them — which is another metric that spiked from the great Clemson defenses of the recent past. So, Goodwin is gone, and Swinney goes and gets veteran defensive mind Tom Allen to come in after a season at Penn State to take over. That move alone can get this defense back on track. Even a return to the top-25 level, with the offense that is expected back, could propel them back to the top of the ACC but beyond the first-round exit of 2024.
||| DL
T.J. Parker has already developed into a star after just two seasons here. He managed 12 sacks in 2024 and showed well in several other realms, including stopping the run. He’s a freak and has one more season here before he likely goes pro. Peyton Page was a big part of this in the interior, and he heads to the NFL. Peter Woods is another former 5-star who has shown to be a significant impact player, and he also returns for 2025. They bring in a rare transfer to help supplement, but this is primed for a return to dominance.
||| LB
It’s difficult to fathom how the run defense struggled so much with players like Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz patrolling the second-level here. Carter is headed to the NFL, but Woodaz returns, and 2024 5-star Sammy Brown will see more playing time to develop more pressure from this group. They will also rely on younger players, Dee Crayton and Jamal Anderson, to play a role. Jeremiah Anderson comes in from Alabama and may jump into the starting lineup. This will be improved with Allen’s presence.
||| DB
This was another young group that played well together, and a couple have developed into stars—one of which is veteran SS R.J. Mickens, who will make the move to the NFL. CB Avieon Terrell is already one of the better players in the conference. He’ll return along with NB Khalil Barnes, who played a lot but needs to improve in several areas, according to the player-level data. They will continue to develop and produce talent from within, and it should be another solid unit in 2025.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The place kicking situation seems to be on the right track to being solved. Nolan Houser cames in as a true freshman and nailed 18 field goals, including two beyond 50 yards. He did miss six times, though. Consistency will come with time, but he’s rated as a top leg in the country right now. Punter Aidan Swanson wasn’t great by most metrics, but the coverage team did a lot to mask that, allowing just 4.3 yards per return — 15th in FBS. Swanson graduates and it’s looking like Jack Smith’s job heading into spring ball. Primary kickoff returner Jay Haynes didn’t do much and punt returner Antonio Williams as good, not great. Both will return and expected to hold those roles in 2025.
Reader feedback is requested and encouraged! Who knows these teams better than their passionate fan bases? We don’t pretend to know it all and would love your feedback. We will update/edit based (and credit) for anything that is brought to our attention. Let’s do this together…
|||||| TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER
The portal remains a topic of conversation around this program, but Swinney has shown he can win an ACC title without it. Now, he goes out and gets three, yes, three (!) players in the portal to supplement the recruiting classes and player development that have long set them apart and played a key role in the National Championships of yesteryear(s). The losses are also minimal, and therefore, this becomes a zero-sum game for the Tigers.
Below is a screen shot of the full, live Transfer Portal Tracker over at CFBDepth.com. Click the image or the button below to view it in its entirety…
|||||| 2025 RECRUITING CLASS
Now, those recruiting classes in the past have always featured top-ranked players, including multiple five-stars. Compared to recent seasons, this 2025 class is not entirely up to snuff. They don’t have any consensus five-stars in this class, and it’s also not an overly large group coming in with just 15 committed at the time of publishing. As usual, Swinney and his crew believe in the power of player development. It would not surprise anybody if what may look like a ‘down’ class turns out to be multiple star players when they come of age and enter the rotation(s).
Here is a snapshot of the 2025 Recruiting Class+ with a link to the live page with updates throughout the cycle:
|||||| 2025 SCHEDULE LOOK AHEAD
A very similar slate to a year ago. They open this time with another SEC foe, LSU, but this one is at home. That will be a tone-setter for the entire season and one that they’ll need to perform better in than that opener against Georgia a year ago. Troy is no slouch of a non-conference opponent. They continue their rivalry series with South Carolina, which takes them to Columbia in the final week of the regular season. They hope that their spot in the ACC Championship is locked up and that it becomes a fun, little exhibition once again. It is worth noting that this is front-loaded as it comes in as the 5th most difficult first half (weeks 0-7) schedule by our early SOS+ numbers, falling to 66th in the second half.
There is a lot of movement and decisions to be made throughout the off-season, including more portal moves, winter workouts and spring ball. Get all caught up with the full-on State of the Chart Magazine coming in July. If you missed the ad before, get more information and give us your e-mail to stay in the loop on everything SOTC!
We hope you enjoyed this content. Please subscribe, re-stack, share, and spread the word of this little endeavor. This fuels our work each and every day and keeps us going. Thank you.
State of the Chart™ Recap Edition Links & Schedule
Southeastern Conference (SEC)
2/1: Alabama Crimson Tide
2/3: Georgia Bulldogs
2/4: LSU Tigers
2/5: Auburn Tigers
2/6: Arkansas Razorbacks
2/7: Florida Gators
2/8: Ole Miss Rebels
2/10: Tennessee Volunteers
2/11: Missouri Tigers
2/12: Texas A&M Aggies
2/13: Oklahoma Sooners
2/14: Texas Longhorns
2/15: South Carolina Gamecocks
2/16: Vanderbilt Commodores
2/17: Mississippi State Bulldogs
2/18: Kentucky Wildcats
Big Ten Conference
2/19: Ohio State Buckeyes
2/20: Michigan Wolverines
2/21: Penn State Nittany Lions
2/22: Indiana Hoosiers
2/23: Wisconsin Badgers
2/24: Northwestern Wildcats
2/25: Oregon Ducks
2/26: Nebraska Cornhuskers
2/27: Minnesota Golden Gophers
2/28: Iowa Hawkeyes
3/1: Michigan State Spartans
3/2: Maryland Terrapins
3/3: Purdue Boilermakers
3/4: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
3/5: Illinois Fighting Illini
3/6: Washington Huskies
3/7: USC Trojans
3/8: UCLA Bruins
Big 12 Conference
3/9: TCU Horned Frogs
3/10: Baylor Bears
3/11: Oklahoma State Cowboys
3/12: Kansas State Wildcats
3/13: West Virginia Mountaineers
3/14: Iowa State Cyclones
3/15: Texas Tech Red Raiders
3/16: Kansas Jayhawks
3/17: BYU Cougars
3/18: Cincinnati Bearcats
3/23: UCF Knights
3/24: Houston Cougars
3/25: Arizona Wildcats
3/26: Arizona State Sun Devils
3/27: Utah Utes
3/28: Colorado Buffaloes
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
3/29: Florida State Seminoles
3/30: Louisville Cardinals