Each year, Athlon Sports asks ACC coaches to speak anonymously about their conference opponents heading into the season, and ACC coaches were a bit less friendly when discussing Clemson this season.
One ACC coach questioned the family aspect of the Tigers after moving on from former offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter to hire Garrett Riley. For this coach, this wasn’t a family move but a move an Alabama or Ohio State would make.
When you recruit against these guys, all you hear about is ‘family, family, family,’ and him going outside of his group and making the change at offensive coordinator [to former TCU OC Garrett Riley] isn’t about family. That’s accepting the reality you’re just another football program, and you have to do things like Alabama and Ohio State to stay relevant with those guys.
It was a big change for the Tigers heading into this season, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Another coach had this to say about the program.
This is the biggest year for Dabo Swinney since he became a national title winner. They have so many new pieces and philosophical changes.
I agree with this coach; this is the most significant year Swinney will have since he became a national champion. A lot is riding on this season, and Clemson has expectations to perform. They have the talent to perform, but one coach acknowledges the amount of unknowns in the Clemson offense.
The QB [Cade Klubnik] might be the next thing there, but the only skill guy you can count on is [Will] Shipley. That’s a lot more unknowns than they’re used to.
Much of this will also fall on the shoulders of Garrett Riley as the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator. Will he change to fit the mold of this Clemson roster, or will he be replicating the TCU offense with the Tigers?
Offensively, let’s see how much of the TCU stuff goes in and how much he’s calling it.
What do you think about the Tigers heading into 2023? They have College Football Playoff potential but must put things together to achieve that potential.
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