Clemson embraces the high expectations ahead of the 2025 season opener

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Clemson Tigers made their annual appearance at the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Media Days that took place in Charlotte, N.C. on last week. Head coach Dabo Swinney was accompanied by starting quarterback Cade Klubnik, starting wide receiver Antonio Williams and starting defensive linemen TJ Parker and Peter Woods.

Last season, the Tigers won their first ACC title since 2022 and made their first appearance in the College Football Playoffs since 2020. Despite an early exit in the playoffs, the Tigers seem to finally be back in the mix as a strong championship contender and Swinney the doubters know when they took the podium on July 24 at the ACC Media Days.

“Every single player who’s come through Clemson since I got here in February 2009 has left with a championship, ACC or national,” Swinney said. “That’s not opinion, that’s fact. The narratives can say what they want.”

Clemson are a favorite to win the ACC this season and have the fifth best odds to win a national championship.

“It’s a close group,” Swinney said. “They’ve done football life together for a few years now. They’ve had success, and certainly last year they got a glimpse at the top of the mountain. That’s giving them fuel.”

Klubnik will be will be a senior and entering his third consecutive season as the starter for the Tigers. He had his best season in 2024 with 3,639 passing yards, 36 passing touchdowns, completed 63% of his passes and only six interceptions. The senior from Austin, Texas talked about what has kept him motivated the past few years.

“Sophomore year I’m sitting at home, and we’re 4-4 in Clemson, South Carolina… I didn’t leave my house for 2 or 3 weeks, I didn’t even want to go in public. I won’t forget that,” said Klubnik.

Swinney is a strong believer in his quarterback and the veteran leadership in which he expressed at the ACC Media Days.

“It’s awesome. Experience, as they say, doesn’t come at a discount. We’ve got a bunch of great young men. Our quarterback, especially, that’s had to manage success well, and he’s had to manage some failure well, too. He’s grown into a great leader of our team,” said Swinney.

He continued, “The experienced guys, we have most of our team back. That, again, speaks to our retention. These guys can leave any time they want, but they — so they have to choose, first of all, to come, and then they have to stay. I just think that says a lot about kind of how we put it together on the front end in recruiting guys that really align with our purpose, guys that really value education and want structure and family and accountability.”

Williams had a breakout season himself as the top target for Klubnik. The Irmo, S.C. native took a huge leap in 2024 with 75 receptions, 904 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns.

Despite the talent coming back on the offensive side of the ball, Clemson will have to replace starting running back Phil Mafah and starting tight end Jake Briningstool. Mafah was one of the best running backs in the country last season and the most underrated with 1,115 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. Briningstool had was one of four Clemson players to have at least 500 receiving yards and 40 plus receptions in 2024.

On the defensive side, Parker led the Tigers with 11 sacks last season and had 58 total tackles. Woods had three sacks and one forced fumble from his defensive tackle position. The two were apart of a destructive defensive line last season for the Tigers that had 35 sacks as a team. It was backed by a strong secondary led by Avieon Terrell, who seems like a lock as first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Parker also is one of the preseason favorites for ACC Defensive Player of the Year along with Terrell. His response to the high praise was short and simple, “I just let the work show.”

The Tigers will begin fall practice on July 31, and will kick the season off a month later in Death Valley on August 30 against LSU at 7:30 p.m. in primetime.