Clemson Football Preview 2026: Can Dabo Swinney Bring the Tigers Back?
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Okay, Dabo Swinney and Clemson – now what?
It seems like it happened several years ago, but coming off an ACC Championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff in 2024, the loaded Tigers were ranked No. 4 in last season's preseason AP Top 25 and sixth in the Coaches Poll.
And then Clemson had its worst season since going 6-7 in 2010 – Swinney's second year with the program.
Is Clemson Good Enough To Be in the ACC Championship Chase?
© Brett Davis-Imagn Images
But what happened after 2010? Clemson enjoyed 12 straight seasons with double-digit wins, won nine games in 2024, and ten again in 2025.
In other words, there's giving a head coach the benefit of the doubt, and there's giving a future Hall of Fame legend like Swinney several dozen free passes.
With that said, this needs to be a Trending Up sort of season. With all of the young talent in place, Clemson might just do something crazy and surprise everyone.
– 2026 Clemson Schedule Analysis
Clemson Quick Hits
- Head Coach: Dabo Swinney (19th year, 187-53)
- Best Case / Worst Case: Win the ACC Championship with a College Football Playoff run/Struggle again just to make a bowl game
- Key Player: Christopher Vizzina, QB Jr.
- 2025 Record: 7-6
- Biggest Question: After a down year, can Clemson start to look and play like a powerhouse again?
Clemson Key 2025 Stats
- Sacks: Clemson 35 for 205 yards, Opponents 21 for 154 yards
- Penalties: Opponents 78 for 705 yards, Clemson 57 for 547 yards
- Clemson 2nd Quarter Scoring: 134, 3rd Quarter Scoring: 53
Offense
Welcome back, Chad Morris.
The Clemson offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2014 – this was just before the program turned into a national championship-level superpower – is back after bouncing around at various assistant jobs after a rough head coaching run at Arkansas ended in 2019.
There's a bit of a rebuilding job to do with this year's team, but after Clemson averaged just 392 yards and 27 points per game, things should be better.
What’s Working
The running backs are in place. The offense became too happy to let former starter Cade Klubnik wing it around, but inconsistencies in the ground attack became a problem.
Gideon Davidson is a decent veteran, and SMU transfer Chris Johnson was one of the best backs in the portal. It also helps that …
The offensive line has the depth to be stronger. There might not be a ton of returning starters, but the interior is full of veterans around Harris Sewell – he could play center after working at guard.
Overall, it's a young group, but the two-deep has the size, upside, and talent to grow into a force.
The wide receiver upgrade is real. Not to dog any past Tigers, but leading receiver Antonio Williams was a third round pick by Atlanta in April – he was the first Clemson wideout drafted since 2021.
TJ Moore is back after making 52 grabs and averaging over 16 yards per catch, and Bryant Wesco Jr. returns after making 31 catches.
They're good, but super-recruit Naeem Burroughs is one of the nation's top signings, and Connor Salmin wasn't far behind.
What Needs Work
Is Christopher Vizzina ready to be amazing? The new likely starting quarterback is bigger than Klubnik, and he has a world of upside with good running ability and a live arm.
The ground attack has to take over. The 2024 offense that pounded its way to over five yards per carry didn't translate to last season, averaging just 3.9 yards per pop even with new Baltimore Raven blaster Adam Randall handling the work.
Clemson failed to hit the 100-yard mark on the ground five times, averaging fewer than three yards per pop in all five.
The Tigers have to be far, far better on third downs. Clemson made a living being a third down conversion machine – it used to blow past 40% – but last year it converted just 34% of its attempts.
That started with the blah running game – there weren't a slew of easy short chances – and that should change with the improved all-around offense.
Player to Watch
Naeem Burroughs, WR Fr.
You never want to put any real pressure on a true freshman, but the 5-11, 185-pound star recruit out of Florida has elite speed with the type of talent to make massive things happen whenever he has the ball in his hands as a runner and a wideout.
© Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Defense
It was a big deal when Clemson brought in Tom Allen to be its new defensive coordinator last season, and the D improved – just not enough.
It went from 69th in the nation to 55th, and even with a great pass rush, it got ripped up through the air. There's plenty of excitement, though, with a loaded group of young talents ready to show what they can do.
What’s Working
The linebacking corps will be terrific. Leading tackler Sammy Brown is a force in the middle – leading the way with 106 tackles last season, with 13.5 tackles for loss – and Jeremiah Alexander is another good-sized tough guy who'll take over on the outside.
The pass rush will show up. A lot more on the defensive line in a moment, but getting top pass rusher Will Heldt back on one side is a plus coming off a 7.5-sack season.
Jamiem Lawson was a good part of the rotation, and the portal is about to help with London Merritt (Colorado) and CJ Wesley (Howard) coming in.
The portal is really about to help the secondary – and it needs it. How do you help one of the worst pass defenses in the nation? You start with corner Ashton Hampton being back on one side, and bring in Elliot Washington II from Penn State for the other.
Safeties Corey Myrick (Southern Miss) and Jerome Carter III (Old Dominion) are two proven veterans who'll step in and shine immediately. They'll have to, because …
What Needs Work
The pass defense needs a lot of tinkering. And that's what all the transfers are for. It wasn't even close to being the worst pass defense in the ACC, but after great years in 2023 and 2024, the secondary needed a reboot.
Give Dabo credit for tweaking his style and stance on the portal a bit and addressing a glaring problem. The Clemson secondary allowed over 200 yards through the air to everyone but Boston College.
How fast before the recent superstar defensive line recruits are ready? Amare Adams was one of the best signings in America in the 2025 class, and he got his feet wet with five tackles last year.
Ari Watford is an elite edge-rushing prospect who got on the field for a moment, and Champ Thompson and Darien Mayo were big gets a few years ago with the upside to start making more noise. They need to be great because …
The NFL is about to enjoy last year's Clemson defensive front. Tackle Peter Woods was selected by Kansas City late in the first round, and Buffalo took end TJ Parker early in the second. 6-5, 315-pound DeMonte Capehart was a good fifth round flier by Tampa Bay.
They were all a part of one of the nation's best run defenses. The new guys have massive shoes to fill.
Player to Watch
Sammy Brown, LB Jr.
The 6-2, 235-pounder is a fringe first-rounder if he decides to come out for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Rock-solid, he made 186 stops with ten sacks and 25 tackles for loss with eight broken up passes in his first two seasons, and now he'll be an All-America-caliber leader in the middle of the Tiger defense.
Keys to the Season
- Get more from the running game to set up Christopher Vizzina.
- The pass defense has to be far more effective.
- Be far better offensively in the red zone.
Player Who Needs To Shine
Christopher Vizzina, QB Jr.
Cade Klubnik might not have been the college superstar everyone was expecting him to be, but all he did was throw for over 10,000 yards and 73 touchdowns with 878 rushing yards and 17 scores. He was good enough to be a fourth-round pick by the quarterback-starved Jets.
Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, Tajh Boyd – Vizzina has a lot to live up to, and the former five-star prospect will get every shot to make the program his.
Biggest Concern
Scoring.
Clemson didn't do that enough considering the talent and experience it had last season.
The attack scored 30 or more points four times – the lowest mark since 2010.
By comparison, the 2016 national champion team did it 12 times. The 2024 team scored 30 or more points seven times.
Biggest Game
at LSU, September 5
It’s not fair, and this isn’t exactly right, but Clemson can blow up the whole notion that the glory days are over with one gigantic win over Lane Kiffin’s club to open up the season.
Transfer Portal
Dabo and the Tigers played ball in the portal, and they worked hard to fix the glitches.
It’s not a national title-level transfer portal run, but it’s not awful.
Cornerbacks, more defensive backs, edge rushers. Here they come, and the depth should be far stronger with this haul.
Best Signing
Chris Johnson Jr. RB (SMU)
There were several good signings, but it is Clemson – it didn't go deep into the portal. It did micro-target a few areas, though, and playmaking running back was a key position.
Johnson is a blazer – he was a Florida high school sprinting superstar – who averaged 6.9 yards on his 84 carries between Miami and SMU. He'll be used as a return man, too.
Biggest Loss
Stephiylan Green, DT (LSU)
He only made 34 tackles with 3.5 sacks over the last two seasons, but the 6-4, 290-pound tackle has plenty of upside and tools to be a big part of a rotation. He'll be part of Lane Kiffin's defensive front from the start.
Other Names to Know
- London Merritt, EDGE (Colorado)
- Elliot Washington II, CB (Penn State)
- Markus Strong, EDGE (Oklahoma)
CFN Season Prediction
This might not be the answer Clemson fans are looking for, but this should be the year before the year.
This is a very, very young team across the board that should grow into something special for 2027.
With that said, the 2024 team was supposed to be that team before the team, and it won an ACC Championship and made the College Football Playoff, and last year's bunch clunked.
CFN Prediction: 8-4
There's a whole lot to like about this team, but it has a sneaky-tough run of games to go along with the SEC bookend killers.
Starting the season at LSU stinks, and South Carolina will be far stronger.
Making the trip to Berkeley to deal with a loaded Cal is a brutally bad break coming before facing Miami.
The ACC season closing out with three road games in four weeks – Florida State, Syracuse, Duke, with a home date against Georgia Tech thrown in there – doesn't help, either.
But Clemson will start to look the part again. Even if it's not one of Dabo's best teams, it'll play well enough to get everyone fired up again.
Related: ACC Football Win Totals 2026: Spring Predictions for Every Team
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos