The 2023 Clemson football season had its share of highs and lows under Coach Dabo Swinney’s leadership. They finished strong with a thrilling win over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl, but their overall record of 9-4 and a 4-4 mark in the ACC left some fans longing for more consistency. With the season behind them, the focus now shifts to how Clemson can improve in 2024.
Clemson supporters are buzzing with anticipation, eager to see what changes and improvements the team will implement for the upcoming season. As the team prepares for new challenges, there is a renewed sense of hope and excitement. With spring football already concluded, fans are now eagerly counting down the days to the start of the new college football season, hopeful for a better and more consistent performance from their Tigers.
In ESPN’s post-spring rankings, the Tigers fell just outside the Top 25.
As my colleague David Hale pointed out, there were four FBS teams that didn’t take a transfer from the portal this offseason: Air Force, Army, Navy and Clemson. Transferring into one of the service academies requires the intervention of a member of the U.S. Congress. For whatever reason, transferring to Clemson seems to be even more difficult these days. After the Tigers dropped four games for the first time since 2011 and finished 52nd in the FBS in scoring offense (29.8 points per game), it seemed like a good time to bring in experienced help. It didn’t happen. There’s no question Clemson’s defense is going to be one of the best in the FBS with linemen Peter Woods and T.J. Parker leading the way. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is betting that quarterback Cade Klubnik is going to be much better in his second season under offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. Freshman receiver Bryant Wesco looked great in the spring, and four-star T.J. Moore joins the team later this month.
Every ranking post is more or less the same if they go beyond a couple of sentences. While the Tigers ranking may change, the talk is all the same and about the Tigers lack of activity in the transfer portal as well as the offense needing to improve.
If Clemson’s offense does take the next step, they will be a dangerous contender.