Category: Men

Cade Klubnik is this analyst’s biggest question mark for Clemson football

Clemson Tigers football: Cade Klubnik is the Tigers’ biggest question mark in spring practice and entering the 2024 season, according to this college football analyst.

After a 4-4 start last season, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik faced more than his share of doubts from fans and pundits alike.

A five-game winning streak that included a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback and 38-35 win against Kentucky in the Gator Bowl to close the season isn’t enough to quell all of Klubnik’s critics, either.

In fact, CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson lists Klubnik as the Tigers’ biggest question mark in spring practice and heading into the 2024 season.

Asking if Klubnik can up his performance from a season ago, Patterson writes:

“Clemson’s coaching staff is challenging Klubnik, the former five-star prospect who enters his junior season with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a Tiger, and looking for him to improve in several ways in order to unlock the offense’s full potential. They want Klubnik to get stronger and have more pocket awareness (he took 28 sacks in 2023) as well as get a better feel for situational football after some of his more disappointing moments came in key spots of close losses.”

Patterson notes that the burden doesn’t fall squarely on Klubnik’s throwing shoulder and highlights coach Dabo Swinney’s program’s need to develop solid receivers.

To that end, incoming freshman and five-star recruit Bryant Wesco has been on many lists of players turning heads in spring practice this year.

Per Patterson:

“This is not a one-man scenario, though; Clemson needs pass catchers and a solid offensive line to help Klubnik in those efforts. Given his blue-chip pedigree, it’s fair to look for a big step forward from the Tigers quarterback in his second full season as a starter.”

Klubnik finished his sophomore season with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He completed 64 percent of his passes and threw for 2,844 yards in 13 games.

Joe Girard’s heartfelt message to Clemson fans

Clemson Basketball: Few players in the history of Clemson basketball left more of an impact in just one season than senior guard Joe Girard did.

Few players in the history of Clemson basketball left more of an impact in just one season than Joe Girard did.

The Glens Falls, N.Y. native, who transferred to Clemson from Syracuse after legendary coach Jim Boeheim announced his retirement last year, helped lead the Tigers to only their second all-time Elite Eight appearance — and first since 1980.

With his decision to transfer to Clemson, Girard gave the Tigers not only an instant scoring threat; he lended a certain layer of credibility to the program.

Girard averaged 15 points per game for Clemson and played in all 36 contests this season. He had a 25-point night in the Tigers’ ACC opener at Pitt and had nine games with 20 or more points, including a season-high 26 against Boston College on January 13.

Girard scored 19 points in the Tigers’ 89-82 loss to Alabama on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Girard took to social media to issue a special heartfelt message to Clemson fans.

“Clemson family,

“I just wanted to give you all a big thank you! Although I was only here for a year, you guys gave me a home away from home.

“To Coach Brownell & staff, the managers, and my incredible teammates, thank you for giving me another historic run in March Madness capped off with an Elite 8!

“The decision to transfer here was everything I wanted and more.

“I’m proud to be able to call myself a Clemson Tiger for life. Tiger Pride! -JG3 Out”

Clemson’s Bryant Wesco on list of players turning heads in spring practice

Clemson Tigers Football: The hype continues to build for freshman receiver Bryant Wesco.

The hype continues to build for Clemson’s Bryant Wesco.

The 6’2″, 170-pound receiver, a five-star recruit out of Midlothian (Texas) High School, chose Clemson over LSU, Tennessee, USC and others in 2023.

247Sports ranked Wesco as the sixth-best receiver nationally in the class of 2024, as well as the fifth-best player from the Lone Star State.

Noting that Wesco chose to play with another Texas native in quarterback Cade Klubnik when he committed to Clemson, B/R Sports listed Wesco on its list of 10 college football players that were turning heads in spring practice.

Per B/R’s story:

“Simply put: The Tigers haven’t had many talented weapons at wideout like him in the past couple of seasons, so he could team with Antonio Williams to give them a major threat on the outside who can stretch the field and make huge plays downfield.

“Transforming the offense to one that instills fear in folks is why Riley was brought onboard, and coach Dabo Swinney certainly won’t outfit his roster with portal talent, so incoming youngsters like Wesco have to.”

Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley recently told The Clemson Insider that he likes what he’s seen from Wesco so far in spring camp.

“Bryant’s done a nice job,” Riley told TCI. “Anytime as a freshman, the whole thing is just, can you handle mentally? And then just the grind, the speed of the game, transitioning at his position at receiver and once you transition to the college speed. He’s been able to mentally handle things, and I think he’s a guy that’s transitioned really well with the speed of the game.”

Wesco caught 109 passes for 1,903 yards and 29 touchdowns during his prep career.

Clemson run rules SC Upstate in midweek contest

Clemson Baseball: No. 2 Clemson defeated USC Upstate, 11-1, in seven innings Tuesday.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 2 Clemson scored five runs in the second inning and five runs in the fifth inning in its 11-1 victory in seven innings over USC Upstate at Fluor Field on Tuesday night. The Tigers, who took a 2-0 lead in the season series, improved to 25-3, while the Spartans dropped to 18-12. The two teams conclude their season series next Tuesday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson scored five runs in the second inning on Cam Cannarella’s two-run single, Alden Mathes’ two-run triple and Blake Wright’s RBI groundout. Jacob Jarrell flared a run-scoring single in the third inning, then he ripped a run-scoring double in the fifth inning. Cannarella followed with a sharp grounder to bring home a run, then Mathes and Blake Wright hit run-scoring singles during Clemson’s five-run frame.

The Spartans dented the scoreboard with a run in the fifth inning on Troy Hamilton’s two-out, run-scoring single, ending Clemson’s streak of not allowing a run at 18 innings over three games.

Tiger starter Billy Barrow (4-1) earned the win. He allowed just three hits, one run and two walks with five strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched. Spartan starter Cooper Ellingworth (4-2) suffered the loss.

The Tigers travel to Notre Dame for a three-game series, beginning Friday at 4:30 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

–via Clemson Athletic Department

Clemson jumps to No. 2 in new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll

NCAA Baseball: The Clemson Tigers moved up one spot to No. 2 in the new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, released Monday, April 1.

Clemson moved up one spot to No. 2 in the new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, released Monday, April 1. It’s the Tigers’ highest ranking in the coaches poll this season.

Coach Erik Bakich’s team is 24-3 overall and went 2-1 last week after taking two of three games from Miami in ACC play.

The Tigers also moved up one spot to No. 2 in the new D1Baseball Top 25 rankings, in addition to the team’s No. 2 ranking in Baseball America’s Top 25.

Arkansas (23-3) remained at No. 1 after sweeping reigning national champion LSU in a three-game series over the weekend.

With Clemson at No. 2, Texas A&M (No. 3, 25-3), Tennessee (No. 4, 24-5), and Oregon State (No. 5, 21-4) rounded out the top five.

Other ACC schools ranked in this week’s coaches poll are No. 7 North Carolina and No. 9 Duke. Virginia fell three spots from last week to land at No. 11. Florida State moved up five spots to No. 12, and Virginia Tech stayed at No. 15.

NC State (No. 20) and Wake Forest (No. 22) also placed in the top 25. Wake Forest fell 10 spots in the coaches poll after being swept by North Carolina in Winston-Salem.

Clemson is scheduled to face SC Upstate in midweek action Tuesday in Greenville. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT.

Clemson up to No. 2 in D1Baseball Top 25 rankings

NCAA Baseball: Clemson Baseball moved up one spot to No. 2 in D1Baseball’s Top 25 rankings, released Monday, April 1. The Clemson Tigers remained No. 2 in Baseball America’s Top 25.

Another solid week that included a hard-fought series win at Miami saw the Clemson Tigers move up one spot to No. 2 in the new Top 25 rankings for D1Baseball.

The Tigers (24-3 overall, 7-2 conference) also remained No. 2 in Baseball America’s Top 25 rankings.

Clemson suffered a walk-off loss to Miami in the series opener Thursday night at Mark Light Field but rebounded with a 3-2 win Friday and a 7-0 shutout victory on Saturday behind freshman Aidan Knaak, who pitched his best game of the season.

Knaak (2-0) fired seven shutout innings against the Hurricanes, allowing just two hits. He struck out 10 batters and walked only one to earn his second win of the season.

Arkansas (23-3, 8-1) remained at No. 1 in both rankings after sweeping LSU in Fayetteville over the weekend. The reigning national champion Tigers (20-9, 2-7) fell to No. 18 in D1Baseball’s Top 25 and all the way to No. 25 in Baseball America’s rankings.

Texas A&M (25-3) moved to No. 3 in both rankings after a 4-0 week. Tennessee (24-5) moved to No. 4 in D1Baseball’s rankings and to No. 5 in Baseball America’s rankings. Florida (16-11) took the No. 4 spot in Baseball America’s rankings.

Clemson will face SC Upstate in Greenville in non-conference play Tuesday. Next up for the Tigers in conference action is a trip to South Bend for a three-game series against Notre Dame beginning Friday.

WATCH: Clemson players receive warm welcome home after Elite Eight

Clemson Basketball in March Madness: The Clemson Tigers received a warm welcome home when it landed Sunday night following its 89-82 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

Clemson’s season came to a disappointing end in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

Buoyed by a second-half surge that included 23 points from Mark Sears, No. 4 seed Alabama defeated the Tigers, 89-82, at Crypto.com Arena to advance to the Final Four.

Clemson got out to a 26-13 lead in the first half before the Crimson Tide overtook them with a 22-6 run to end the half.

Sears, who started the game 0-for-6 from behind the arc, made up for it in the second half by connecting on seven of his next eight 3-pointers.

Joe Girard ended up leading the Tigers with 19 points after a slow start, and Ian Schieffelin added 18 points. PJ Hall (14 points) and Chase Hunter (12 points) gave Clemson four players in double figures Saturday.

While the end result was a disappointment for the Tigers, Clemson fans were no less thrilled to welcome the team back home from the City of Angels after the team had made only its second all-time Elite Eight appearance.

The Clemson Athletic Department took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday night to share a pair of videos of the reception the team received from the Tiger faithful.

Watch below:

Clemson baseball defeats Miami for latest ACC series win

NCAA Baseball: No. 2 Clemson picked up a 7-0 shutout victory over the Miami Hurricanes at Mark Light Field Saturday. The Tigers won two of three in the series to improve to 24-3 overall and 7-2 in the ACC.

CORAL GABLES, FLA. – Freshman righthander Aidan Knaak pitched 7.0 scoreless innings of two-hit ball with 10 strikeouts to lead No. 2 Clemson to a 7-0 victory over Miami (Fla.) at Mark Light Field on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers, who won the series 2-1, improved to 24-3 overall and 7-2 in the ACC. The Hurricanes dropped to 15-12 overall and 6-6 in ACC play.

It marked Clemson’s first series win over the Hurricanes since 2012 and first at Miami since 2006. It was also the Tigers’ 14th regular-season weekend series win in a row dating to 2023. That includes 10 straight in ACC regular-season play.

Knaak (2-0), a native of Fort Myers, Fla., earned the win by setting career highs for innings pitched and strikeouts while walking just one batter. He only allowed one baserunner past first base and none past second base. Reed Garris and Rocco Reid pitched the final two innings to close out the shutout, Clemson’s first since 2022. Miami starter Herick Hernandez (2-3) suffered the loss, as he yielded seven hits, seven runs (five earned) and three walks with five strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched.

In the first inning, Jacob Hinderleider’s infield single and error on the play plated three runs, then Hinderleider blooped a two-out, run-scoring single in the third inning. Cam Cannarella laced a three-run double in the sixth inning to give Clemson a 7-0 lead.

The Tigers travel to Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. to take on USC Upstate on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. Clemson is the designated visiting team and occupies the third-base dugout.

–via Clemson Athletic Department

March Madness: Where to watch, stream and listen to Clemson vs. Alabama

Clemson Basketball in March Madness: Here’s where Clemson Tigers fans can watch, stream and listen to Saturday’s Elite Eight contest vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide in the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles.

Alabama coach Nate Oats dubbed it “the basketball Rose Bowl.”

No word yet on whether Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney will be there to witness it.

Nevertheless, it’s on to the Elite Eight for No. 6 seed Clemson, which will take on No. 4 seed Alabama in the West Region final of the NCAA Tournament Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

It will be the second time the Crimson Tide and Tigers have met this season. Clemson defeated Alabama, 85-77, back on November 28 in Tuscaloosa as part of the ACC-SEC Challenge.

With a trip to the Final Four on the line, it’s hard to bet against the Tigers in a rematch.

They survived No. 3 seed Baylor before knocking out No. 2 seed Arizona, 77-72, in Thursday’s Sweet 16 contest. Chase Hunter has been phenomenal throughout the tournament, and he scored another 18 points in the win against Arizona.

Clemson’s defense has held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting in its first three games of the tournament.

Alabama got to the Elite 8 by taking down No. 1 seed North Carolina, 89-87, in a thrilling comeback on Thursday. Grant Nelson scored 24 points to keep the Tide rolling in the Dance after a late-season slump in SEC play threatened to derail Alabama’s season.

The Crimson Tide is the led by senior Mark Sears, who averages 21.4 points per night. Sears totaled 18 points against North Carolina on 7-of-14 shots. ‘Bama’s biggest strength — and subsequently its achilles heel — is its 3-point shooting. When the Tide gets rolling, they have any number of deadly assassins from behind the arc, including Sears and Rylan Griffen (11.2 points per game).

Neither Clemson nor Alabama have ever reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

Series Notes and History

Clemson leads the all time head to head series, 8-4. The two schools first met in basketball in 1929. The Tigers have won the last three meetings in the series, including its November win in Tuscaloosa. In that game, Hall had 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Hunter and Joe Girard combined for 31 points. Saturday’s game will mark the fifth meeting between the Tigers and Crimson Tide since 2015.

Where To Watch

Here’s where Clemson fans can watch, stream and listen to Saturday’s NCAA Tournament game against Alabama.

Date: Saturday, March 30

Time: 8:49 p.m. EST

Where: Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center)

TV: TBS/truTV

Live Stream: B/R Sports add-on via Max app

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network | Westwood One Sports (national broadcast) | TuneIn App | Varsity App | SiriusXM (Channel 202)

Broadcast Teams

TBS: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst), Allie LaForce (sideline)

Clemson Radio: Don Munson, JD Powell

Westwood One Sports: Spero Dedes, Austin Croshere

Everything Brad Brownell and Clemson players said after beating Arizona

Clemson Basketball in March Madness: Here’s everything Clemson Tigers coach Brad Brownell and players Chase Hunter, PJ Hall and Ian Schieffelin said after the team’s 77-72 victory over the Arizona Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament.

It’s on to the Elite Eight for the Clemson men’s basketball team, which will face Alabama in the NCAA Tournament Saturday in Los Angeles after the Tigers’ 77-72 victory over Arizona at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.

Clemson got 35 points combined from seniors Chase Hunter and PJ Hall, and they held Arizona to just 37 percent shooting from the field. Caleb Love, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, was held to 13 points.

The Tigers have now defeated a No. 3 seed and a No. 2 seed, in addition to their first-round tournament victory over Mountain West champion New Mexico.

Clemson will have a familiar opponent Saturday in No. 4 seed Alabama. The Tigers met the Crimson Tide back on November 28 in Tuscaloosa, an 85-77 victory in the ACC-SEC Challenge that was part of a 9-0 start to the season.

Alabama punched its ticket to the Elite Eight with an 89-87 come-from-behind win over No. 1 seed North Carolina.

Tipoff for Clemson-Alabama is scheduled for 8:49 p.m. EDT from Los Angeles. The game will be broadcast on TBS and truTV.

Clemson coach Brad Brownell and players met with reporters after Thursday’s win over Arizona. Here’s everything Brownell, Hunter, Hall and Ian Schieffelin said at the press conference.