Tag: Riley Leonard

Clemson upset by Duke as turnovers cost the Tigers

Swinney and the Tigers suffer a brutal loss on the road against Duke to start their 2023 season.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers 2023 season start off on a bad note, with Clemson falling 28-7 on the road to Mike Elko and the Duke Blue Devils. 

Things went about as poorly as they could for No.9 Clemson (0-1, 0-1 ACC), who started the game slow on the offensive side of the ball. Duke got the game’s first points on a 22-yard field goal on their first possession. They later extended their lead to 6-0 after a 42-yard field goal to start the second quarter.

Clemson’s only points of the game came in the second quarter as the result of a muffed punt. Starting the drive on the 19-yard line, after a few plays, after a few plays, starting quarterback Cade Klubnik found star running back Will Shipley on an easy 2-yard touchdown pass. 

It was all Duke from there on as sloppy play, red zone turnovers, and lack of discipline saw the Tigers suffer a brutal second half. Things went about as poorly as they could for the Tigers in this one. 

It’s not the start Swinney or Clemson fans wanted for the program.

Eagles have scouts in attendance at Clemson-Duke

#Eagles have scouts in attendance for Clemson at Duke

The Eagles are always doing their due diligence on potential draft picks.

With Monday being a national holiday, all ayes are in Durham for the ACC opener between Clemson and Duke.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid is in attendance, and Philadelphia is among 16 teams on campus, with three organizations sending their GM.

Duke junior quarterback Riley Leonard is a top-50 prospect, while Blue Devil left tackle Graham Barton looks like a solid Day 2 prospect who’ll move inside to guard.

Clemson has sent 11 draft-day defenders to the NFL over the past five years.

Junior cornerback Nate Wiggins and linebacker Barrett Carter are top 20 prospects, along with defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

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Clemson vs. Duke named a top six Week 1 matchup

Clemson’s matchup with Duke is among the best on the Week 1 schedule.

We are days away from Clemson football’s season opener at Duke, and the hype around this matchup continues to pick up steam.

The Blue Devils were one of the biggest shocks not only in the ACC but in all of college football in 2022. Starting quarterback Riley Leonard was one of the top players at the position, and first-year head coach Mike Elko was so impressive that he won 2022 ACC Coach of the Year.

In years past, Duke was more often than not an afterthought. With Elko at the helm and an improved roster, the Blue Devils are now one of the better teams in the ACC.

Clemson is in a different situation as a program that has an opportunity to return to form and reclaim their spot as one of the top teams in the country in 2023. The program itself remains élite; they just need to show it on the field. 

A program on the rise vs. a program that has College Football Playoff aspirations is shaping up to be an excellent competition. According to USA TODAY Sports analyst Eddie Timanus, it is one of the top six games on the Week 1 slate.

Clemson jumps right into ACC competition in the Labor Day night special, and it might not be the walk in the park Tigers’ fans have come to expect when visiting Duke. The Blue Devils won nine games in Mike Elko’s first year at the helm and were within a field goal of winning three more. Granted there was no Clemson on the schedule, and the Tigers didn’t lose to anyone within the conference. Clemson’s offense is now in the hands of QB Cade Klubnik, and he’ll want to reestablish the explosiveness of the attack early on with help from WR Beaux Collins and RB Will Shipley. Duke QB Riley Leonard is also back, and he’ll be just as motivated to demonstrate that last year’s success was not a fluke. His equally battle-tested arsenal includes WR Jalon Calhoun and RB Jordan Waters.

A great breakdown of the matchup: this game is an opportunity for both programs to prove themselves. For Duke, it is just as Timnaus said, demonstrating that last year’s success was no fluke and Leonaed, along with the Blue Devils, are the real deal. For Clemson, it is about proving they can not only make changes when necessary but prove those changes to be successful.

All eyes will be on Cade Klubnik under center as we see the young quarterback’s first regular-season start and first start under Garrett Riley. Expectations are high for this matchup.

Where Cade Klubnik ranks in 247Sports Power 5 QB rankings for 2023

Cade Klubnik should far exceed this ranking in 2023.

As we head into the 2023 college football season, fans cannot wait to see what starting quarterback Cade Klubnik is capable of under center. 

We have a small sample size of what Klubnik can do, seeing the good and the bad. In the Tigers’ huge ACC Championship win over UNC, Klubnik won MVP completing 20-of-24 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown, rushing seven times for 30 yards with a score on the ground. While the Orange Bowl didn’t fair as well for the young quarterback, multiple factors played into that performance. 

With the addition of 2022 Broyles Award winner Garrett Riley as offensive coordinator, Klubnik is poised to break out in 2023. Even so, 247Sports Power 5 QB rankings for 2023 ranked Klubnik as the No.27 Power 5 QB heading into the season. 

Klubnik was the fourth-highest-ranked ACC QB behind Drake Maye (No.1), Jordan Travis (No.13), and Riley Leonard (No.19). 

This ranking is low for Klubnik, even with the small sample size. He should far exceed this ranking in 2023 as he leads the Clemson offense through the ACC.

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Dabo Swinney on the challenges of an opener against Duke

Dabo Swinney discussed the Tigers opening matchup against Duke and the challenges they face.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program’s fall camp is underway, and the anticipation for the Tigers’ opener against the Duke Blue Devils is building.

People would hear Duke opener for many years and not think much of it. 2023 is not one of those years. 

Duke head coach Mike Elko won ACC Coach of the Year in his first season with the Blue Devils, and the roster remains strong heading into the season. With a star quarterback in Riley Leonard under center, Duke is no joke and will have another competitive season in the ACC. It could be a tough task for the Tigers as opening week can surprise and be unpredictable. 

“We need to show up with a great focus and commitment every day and we need to learn and grow from the success and the mistakes of the day before and just kind of build throughout camp. That’s part of it and obviously we need a little luck to stay healthy in a couple spots for sure,” Swinney said.

“We don’t get to play football until Labor Day night. You saw a game last night…there’s a reason why the pros play preseason games, for that reason right there. Cause they haven’t played football, it’s a long time to go. I don’t care how much you practice, there’s no simulation of playing the game and even when you get two scrimmages, you’re still going against each other.”

Opening week can be a challenge for many, but not everyone plays the highest caliber opponents to open their season. While Duke isn’t a premier college football team heading into the 2023 season, they are a talented group that could shock many with their performance. They did exactly that last season.

“We’re playing a really, really good team in duke who’s got a ton of confidence and a ton of guys back. There’s always challenges,” the Clemson head coach said. “You get into game week, you’ve only got so much time…we’ve been working on our first few opponents since the spring and guess what, they’re going to be doing that for us too…the key is finding a way to win the opener and then you go from there.”

The Tigers matchup with the Blue Devils should be an excellent one. It will be a good opportunity for Clemson to start the season off with a bang.

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Where Cade Klubnik lands in Eric Mac Lain’s ACC quarterback rankings

The ACC has some excellent quarterbacks heading into the 2023 season.

Heading into the 2023 college football season, the ACC has some of the best quarterbacks in football, with multiple players in the Heisman conversation. 

Among these quarterbacks is Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, who has a ton of talent but lacks experience. Klubnik can potentially be the top quarterback in the conference, but heading into 2023, he isn’t quite there. 

Former Tiger and ACC analyst Eric Mac Lain recently released his top five quarterbacks in the conference, with Klubnik ranking No.4. North Carolina’s Drake Maye, the 2022 ACC Player of the Year, ranked No. 1 on Mac Lain’s list, followed by Florida State’s Jordan Travis and Duke’s Riley Leonard rounding out the top three. Ranking No.5 was Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke.

We have a small sample size of what Klubnik can do, seeing the good and the bad. In the Tigers’ huge ACC Championship win over UNC, Klubnik won MVP completing 20-of-24 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown, rushing seven times for 30 yards with a score on the ground. 

The Orange Bowl, however, wasn’t as favorable for the young quarterback. Things should be different in 2023. 

Garrett Riley is now the Tigers’ offensive coordinator, and this should do wonders for Klubnik under center. He is a top breakout candidate in college football.

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2024 NFL draft watch list: Top prospects for the New Orleans Saints at QB

With the college football season approaching, here are top prospects for the New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL draft watch list at quarterback | @DillySanders @crissy_froyd

With the college football season right around the corner, we’re taking a break from New Orleans Saints training camp coverage to highlight prospects for our 2024 NFL draft watch list. We’re starting off with the game’s most important position: quarterback.

Now, the Saints likely won’t be on the hunt for a new quarterback in the spring — having signed Derek Carr and drafted Jake Haener to back him up, they’ve resolved that question for at least a few years. But there’s a very good chance one of the top rookie passers ends up in the division on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Atlanta Falcons. We just saw the Carolina Panthers make a surprise trade to pick Bryce Young first overall, so who’s to say one of those NFC South rivals won’t follow that blueprint?

Here are our top five quarterback prospects eligible for the 2024 draft, along with a couple of honorable mentions:

Top ACC players Notre Dame will be playing in 2023

Keep your eye on these players when the Irish face them.

In exchange for retaining its football independence, Notre Dame plays a certain number of ACC opponents every season. The only other sport in which Notre Dame is not an ACC member is hockey, which plays in the Big Ten. While old-school Irish fans might long for the days of the program being able to schedule almost anyone at anytime, some often forget that this arrangement means some thrilling football. The home wins over recent powerhouse Clemson in 2020 and 2022 are two examples.

College football isn’t back yet, but you still can look at the rosters and see which quality players play for whom. Twitter’s Big Game Boomer has done just that and come up with a list of the top 50 ACC players for the upcoming season. When you look at the list, you’ll see the Irish have many of them set to face them. Let’s see who the Irish are playing when you take away the players whose teams aren’t on their schedule:

2024 NFL draft: Preseason QB watch list and early rankings

An early ranking of the quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL draft class and QB watch list from Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon

Nothing in the world of the NFL draft attracts attention quite like the quarterbacks. They’re the most debated, most scrutinized and most analyzed prospects every year. For the players included here in the preliminary list for 2024, it’s just something they’re going to have to accept.

These are very fluid rankings. In general, these are early impressions about the NFL potential of players who still have a considerable amount of football to play before they’re drafted.

With some feedback and info from a couple of team-employed NFL scouts and an active player agent, here is an early listing and my preliminary ranking for the QBs in the NFL draft class of 2024.