Clemson is in the midst of another down season, but Dabo Swinney is leading a resilient team that is not folding on the season, even though they can’t win the ACC. The Tigers have won three of their last
five games, with one of those losses coming by one point. Swinney has his team playing hard, and his offense has been putting up points and yardage while battling injury issues.
After a strong 2024 season, Cade Klubnik returned this season as a preseason Heisman frontrunner. That hype quickly faded as he struggled against LSU and continued to play poorly through their first four games of the year. However, Klubnik has been lights out over his last four games. He has 8 touchdowns over those four games with only one interception while completing 79% of his passes. Throw in the 9.7 yards per attempt he is averaging in these games, and it’s impossible to ignore that Klubnik is playing like the guy most expected him to be this season.
Klubnik has done well finding guys down the field recently, which has opened things up for the underneath passes Clemson likes to run. It should also be noted that two of the Tigers’ best rushing games have been over this stretch of 5 games, where the Clemson offense has improved. Klubnik has all of the skills you want to see in a college quarterback, and I think he has only improved with his command of the offense and ability to consistently get the offense moving. It’s an inopportune time for the Cards to face him coming off a loss.
In my opinion, there is no greater example of Dabo Swinney’s recruiting stubbornness than Adam Randall being his starting running back. Randall was a four-star wide receiver as a recruit who fit the mold of the same guy Clemson recruited over and over again at receiver. He couldn’t consistently get on the field as a receiver because they had the same guy ahead of him at the position. Somehow, Randall became a candidate to move to running back at 6-3/215 pounds and four total carries before this season. Dabo failed to recruit a running back good enough to lead the room, and he refused to use the portal to fill a gaping hole in his roster.
With that being said, Randall has been solid for Clemson with about 63 yards per game on the season. He runs extremely hard for a guy who is new to the position, but his size is actually an issue for him because he gets cut down by tacklers who can take out his knees. But Randall can make plays in the open field with his speed, and he is an obvious threat catching the football. I also expect Gideon Davidson to continue his expanded role in the backfield.
While the Tigers still have a slight issue with recruiting the same guy at wide receiver, they did go out and get an excellent slot receiver a couple of years ago in Antonio Williams. Williams is a complete receiver, but he excels at intermediate and short routes. He is outstanding after the catch as well, but Clemson has also started to expand his route tree to use him on downfield throws. With the struggles the Cards had containing Jacob De Jesus last week, it would behove the staff to have a plan for Williams.
Bryant Wesco was having a breakout season before an unfortunate neck injury that will keep him out for the season. Clemson has looked to TJ Moore to take on a larger role, and he has stepped up over the last few weeks. Moore is a big outside receiver with great speed and the ability to make big plays after the catch. The Tigers have found creative ways to get him the ball this year, and as much as the slot was an issue against Cal, I think that Moore is the biggest outside threat the Cards have seen this year.
Depth is a bit of a concern for Clemson without Wesco, but they have talent to lean on if needed. Tyler Brown is a guy that I personally like on their roster, though he hasn’t made much of an impact. He and Tristan Smith are probably the most likely receivers to get targets on Friday night. Clemson also uses a trio of tight ends in their passing game. This group could be a factor if Ron English creates a game plan designed to stop Williams and Moore. The Tigers have a strong group of options at the skill positions.
A group that has to be a bit frustrating for Clemson fans has to be the offensive line. This is one of the most veteran groups in the country, but the results have not been what you would expect. Blake Miller is one of the best tackles in the country on the right side of the line, but the remainder of the group has been poor at just about everything. The staff has tried to make some personnel changes, with true freshman Braydon Jacobs taking over at left guard. The Cards should have another game on their hands where they have an advantage up front, but they need to take advantage of it, especially from a pass rush standpoint.
