ESPN’s Matt Barrie Says 2025 Is the Year This Team Has Been ‘Waiting For’

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Lentz | Last updated May 8, 2025 6:00 PM ET

CLEMSON, S.C. — The noise around Clemson football is growing louder—and now, one of ESPN’s most familiar voices is ready to turn up the volume.

Studio host and college football commentator Matt Barrie didn’t hold back when he joined former Clemson standouts Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain on The Gramlich & Mac Lain Show. As part of their Summer Guest Series, Barrie made it clear: the 2025 Clemson Tigers are ready to reclaim their spot among college football’s elite.

“I would put Clemson up there among the top 3-5 teams in the country,” Barrie said. “This is the year they’ve been waiting for.”

Barrie pointed to quarterback Cade Klubnik’s development and Clemson’s continuity across the roster as key indicators that this version of the Tigers could resemble those Trevor Lawrence- and Deshaun Watson-led juggernauts that defined the Swinney era.

“Cade Klubnik came out as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country,” Barrie said. “He was the spark when DJ [Uiagalelei] was struggling. He started slow, but now he’s there. He gets it. This is the team that gets Clemson back into the conversation as the team to beat.”

With Klubnik entering his third season as the starter, a healthy dose of returning production, and a deep defense anchored by NFL-bound linemen Peter Woods and T.J. Parker, Barrie believes Clemson’s window is wide open in 2025.

Barrie also gave rare national media praise for head coach Dabo Swinney, who has famously taken heat for his conservative use of the transfer portal. But after a 2024 season that saw Clemson return to the ACC mountaintop and reach the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, Barrie is doubling down on Swinney’s philosophy.

“I love that Dabo didn’t change his philosophy—he just adjusted,” Barrie said. “Everyone ripped him, but he stuck to his culture, built around development, and used the portal selectively. And it worked. It’s working.”

This offseason, Swinney added key pieces to fill specific needs—namely Purdue’s Will Heldt, Alabama’s Jeremiah Alexander, and Southeast Missouri State wideout Tristan Smith. But the core of Clemson’s program remains centered around homegrown talent and long-term investment.

“I’ll give Dabo Swinney more credit than anyone in the country,” Barrie added. “He didn’t build through free agency. He kept his guys, rewarded them, and found players who fit Clemson—not just ones with stars next to their names.”

The Tigers will be tested early when they host LSU at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30—a high-profile opener that could immediately vault Clemson into the national spotlight.

But if Barrie is right, the Tigers won’t just be part of the conversation in 2025—they’ll be leading it.

“This,” he said, “is the year Clemson’s been waiting for.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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