Jim Fuller’s Top 25 Teams To Watch: No. 8 Clemson Tigers

· Aug 16 - 6 minutes read

Klubnik Ready To Take Over as Clemson’s Quarterback

It is a credit to what head coach Dabo Swinney has built at Clemson that going 10-3 can be considered a down year. That is what happened in 2021 when the Tigers failed to live up to college football predictions by not making it to the ACC title game.

Clemson was back on top of the ACC in 2022 by rolling past North Carolina to make it seven conference championships in eight years. Expectations are high once again with Clemson eighth in our countdown of the top 25 college football teams heading into the 2023 season.

Jim Fuller's Top 25 Teams To Watch: No. 8 Clemson Tigers — Cade Klubnik #2 of the Clemson Tigers throws a pass/Megan Briggs/Getty Images/AFP

Clemson put together the No. 2 rated recruiting class among ACC teams. The top three incoming freshmen are top-100-rated defensive lineman Vic Burley, Tomarrion Parker, and Peter Woods with quarterback Stephiyian Green another top signees.

Clemson pretty much stayed away from the transfer portal, only adding reserve quarterback Paul Tyson from Arizona State.

The Tigers could see plenty of their former recruits with safety Malcolm Greene (Virginia), defensive lineman Etinosa Reuben (Georgia Tech), running back Kobe Pace (Virginia), and receiver Dacari Collins (North Carolina State) landing at ACC schools.

Although Pace rushed for more than 600 yards for Clemson during the 2021 season, the biggest name to transfer was quarterback DJ Uiagalelei as the former starter is now at Oregon State.

According to college football odds, Clemson (+1600) is tied for sixth in the odds to win the national title. The Tigers are ranked ninth in both the Associated Press and coaches’ polls, one spot behind conference rival Florida State. Clemson received 103 first-place votes and finished first in the preseason ACC poll.

Clemson Tigers

2022 record: 11-3
2022 ACC record: 8-0
Head coach: Dabo Swinney
Odds to win conference title: +150

There was a changing of the guard at Clemson with freshman Cade Klubniik taking over for Uiagalelei as the starting quarterback.

After attempting 22 passes in the first 12 games of the season, the Tigers turned to Klubnik for the ACC Championship Game. He was 20-of-24 for 279 yards and a touchdown pass. He added 320 yards in a loss to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. Although Klubnik ran for a score for the second straight game, he did throw two interceptions and completed just 55.6% of his passes.

Cade Klubnik to Antonio Williams is gonna be fun to watch this season.

Antonio Williams’ route running is >>> pic.twitter.com/M9ONQIXQvY

— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) August 6, 2023

Klubnik (+1400) is tied for fourth in the odds to win the Heisman Trophy according to the college football odds.

Will Shipley, Clemson’s leading rusher in each of the last two seasons, is back after running for 1,182 yards and adding 38 catches. He is priced at +6000 in the Heisman Trophy odds.

While there is a lot of experience coming back on the offensive line, the Tigers did lose left tackle Jordan McFadden.

The biggest addition on offense might be offensive coordinator Garrett Riley as he comes in from TCU.

He will look to improve the passing game that ranked ninth in the ACC in yards per passing attempt and seventh in pass plays of 30 yards or longer.

Leading receiver Antonio Williams returns after topping the Tigers with 56 catches and 604 yards. Receiver Joe Ngata and tight end Davis Allen are both off to the NFL after combining for 80 catches a season ago.

Six of the nine Clemson players with at least 10 receptions a season ago were either freshmen or sophomores so there is plenty of talent. More will be expected from Beaux Collins, who averaged 17 yards per reception and is back after missing four of the last five games.

There are plenty of questions about the defense. Both defensive linemen Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee were first-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft and linebacker Trenton Simpson is also off to the pros.

Dropped snap but easy win for Myles Murphy on this one. pic.twitter.com/2inOtdnm1E

— ZIM (@zimwhodey) August 10, 2023

The defense will be led by linebackers Jeremiah Trotter (team-high 89 tackles) and Barrett Carter (73 tackles, 5½ sacks, eight pass breakups). They could both end up going in the first round in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Defensive tackle Tyler Davis has been a force in the middle of the line for four seasons while Ruke Orhorhoro is another defensive linemen to keep an eye on.

Second-leading tacklers Jalyn Phillips and Nate Wiggins return to lead the secondary.

Those who bet online might want to keep in mind that Clemson covered in seven of its 14 games a season ago when the Tigers were listed as the favorite in each game.

Seven of Clemson’s games finished over the college football betting line total and that included two of the three losses.

Outlook

Typically, there is an unquestioned top team in the ACC heading into the season. That is not the case in 2023 with Florida State and Clemson running neck-to-neck. Clemson has the best odds to win the conference title by a slim margin while Florida State is one spot ahead of Clemson in the two major national polls.

Clemson is accustomed to seeing top players heading to the NFL so losing some key players in the defense should not hold them back.

In the transfer portal era, Clemson is relying on its staff’s recruiting prowess and the ability to keep the best players from leaving to compete for the conference title.

Clemson opens the season with a road trip to conference rival Duke. The teams haven’t met since 2018. Clemson has won the last five meetings with the Blue Devils with an average margin of victory of 31 points. Clemson is listed by the college football spreads as the 13-point favorite and the total is set at 55½ points.

After that comes a pair of non-conference games against Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic before the game of the year in the ACC when Clemson welcomes Florida State.

The next home game comes against Wake Forest and those teams squared off in an entertaining 51-45 affair in 2022. After a bye week, things get real with a three-game stretch against Miami, North Carolina State, and Notre Dame.

There will be an ACC title game rematch versus North Carolina and Heisman Trophy candidate Drake Maye on Nov. 18 followed by the annual rivalry clash with South Carolina.

Drake Maye is legit pic.twitter.com/nbCWLA3mpe

— KingNewcomb (@KingNewcomb) August 14, 2023

As Clemson eyes its 13th straight season with at least 10 wins, the Tigers are priced at -110 to go over 10 wins during the regular season compared to -120 odds to finish under that total.

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