Clemson Tigers Football Stock Is Up After a Strong Offseason

Even in their down years, the Clemson Tigers and head coach Dabo Swinney finds new ways to be successful on the football field.

After a blowout loss to the Georgia Bulldogs to open the 2024 season, no one expected the Tigers to make it as far as they did. But an Atlantic Coast Conference Championship victory and College Football Playoff berth would prove the doubters wrong.

Now, Swinney and Clemson are gearing up for another campaign, and the expectations surrounding the team are much higher for 2025. After the strong offseason the program has had, things are only looking up in Death Valley, and a recent article from Antonio Morales of The Athletic (subscription required) discusses the ever-growing hype.

Clemson Tigers' Stock is Up for 2025 Season

While some big names were drafted by NFL teams last month, the Tigers are not having to endure much roster attrition. Barrett Carter and Phil Mafah are now gone, to the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys, respectively, but the roster otherwise remains fairly intact.

Swinney was able to add Will Heldt, a defensive lineman from the Purdue Boilermakers in the transfer portal, who has played in 24 games over the last two years. In 2024, Heldt tallied 56 tackles, 10 coming for a loss, with five being sacks. He also recovered one fumble, returning it 16 yards for a touchdown. He will be a big addition to new defensive coordinator Tom Allen's defensive front.

The big names from the wide receiver room are all set to return, too. T.J. Moore, Bryant Wesco Jr, and Antonio Williams all comprise one of the deepest groups of pass catchers in the nation, and they have not even reached their full potential yet.

Of course, there is also Cade Klubnik. The quarterback is returning for his senior season to serve as the starter for a third time. Klubnik took a major step forward in his development last year and could be battling it out with Arch Manning and Garrett Nussmeier for a big piece of hardware at the end of the 2025 campaign. He has already made a name for himself, and many expect him to go in the first round of next year's NFL draft.

That is not even to mention the No. 26 recruiting class in the country that Swinney has put together. Few have been able to develop talent as well as Swinney, and another strong recruiting class should pay off in spades for the program this year and for many years to come.

The future is bright in Clemson, and with another year of Dabo Swinney roaming the sidelines, the sky is the limit for how high their stock can rise.