Clemson lost their biggest game of the regular season last week, but still has everything they want in front of them. The Tigerscan still win another ACC Title and clinch a spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff with a victory over SMU. However, would this be good for the future of the program?
There has been a lot of talk about the future for Clemson this past week. With the loss against South Carolina, many have begun to ponder if Clemson is now the second-best program in the Palmetto State.
Then, yesterday happened. South Carolina had multiple flips on early national signing day and ended the day at 20th in recruiting ranks while Clemson is at 26th. The Gamecocks also signed five of the top 10 ranked players in the state of South Carolina, though Clemson did get the lone five-star prospect, Amare Adams. The Tigers also have only the fourth best recruiting class in the ACC behind Miami, Georgia Tech, and Florida State.
SOURCE: https://247sports.com/season/2025-football/compositeteamrankings/
Clemson has now been bypassed both on and off the field by South Carolina. The Tigers has fallen behind in high school recruitment in their own conference. They continue to not use the transfer portal. They lost to the only two Top 25 teams they have played all season. When are things going to stop regressing?
That returns us to the original question: would a win Saturday against SMU hurt the future of the program? I think it absolutely would. A former national powerhouse backdooring its way into a conference championship and a playoff berth is not helping 2025 and beyond.
Coach Dabo Swinney has done a great job during his tenure at Clemson. There is not a single fan, coach, or player that can argue with two national titles and many more ACC titles. However, his to commitment to NOT using the transfer portal, among other issues, is costing the Tigers every year.
Every single year since 2019, it feels like Clemson regresses just a little more than the year before. They made the playoffs in both 2019 and 2020, losing in the National Championship in ’19 and the semifinals in ’20. In 2021, the Tigers missed the ACC Championship game and lost three games for the first time since 2014. In 2022, they against lost three games but won the ACC. Last year, the Tigers went 9-4 and did not win 10 games for the first time since 2010. Every year, it seems to be a little worse than the last.
This year, though 9-3 and back in the ACC Championship, has been a major disappointment. Maybe losing to the Mustangs Saturday night will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. After the subpar season on the field and recruiting losses off the field, surely Dabo will have to change the ways of his program, right?
However, with a win, nothing will change. Dabo can brag about another 10-win season, another ACC Championship, and another College Football Playoff appearance. All things that are great on the surface but may just continue to add on constant regression of Clemson Football.
Pull for your Tigers on Saturday night Clemson fans. You should want another conference title and a chance to play for a National Championship. However, just remember, you need to be pulling just as hard for your program to make some serious changes off the field in the very near future.
