Clemson football news: Dabo Swinney issues hyped message as Tigers aim for major bounce back

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On Saturday, Clemson will kick off the new season against LSU. It’s not only the start of a new season, but also a chance to turn a corner after an underperforming season.

Nobody knows that better than head coach Dabo Swinney. He made that clear as he spoke to the media on Tuesday in the lead-up to the game. More than anything, Swinney was adamant about starting with a clean slate.

“We look forward to competing and kicking this thing off” Swinney said.

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Last year, Clemson ranked No. 4 in the preseason top 5. But as the season progressed, the struggle was real. They started 1-3 and then became inconsistent. Senior QB Cade Klubnik sustained an ankle injury and finished out, only completing 34.3% of his pass attempts.

Overall, they scraped by at 7-6, including a 4-4 record in the ACC. They suffered a 3-4 record at home and ranked 105th in the nation in rushing offense. In December 2025, the lowest blow came when Clemson lost to Penn State 22-10 in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.

Going into this year, the Tigers are ranked as No.23 in the nation in preseason polls and No.4 in the ACC. Chad Morris has returned as offensive coordinator. Elliot Washington II and London Merritt have arrived from the transfer portal to add depth for the defensive line. They have highly touted freshman QB Tait Reynolds with senior QB Christopher Vizzina in the mix.

Vizzina got the green light to start at QB against LSU in the highly anticipated season opener on Saturday.

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