Clemson's outside top-10 of 247Sports post-spring ranking

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has depth again on his defense with additions like former 5-star lineman Peter Woods.

by TigerNet Staff - Mon Apr 24 13:41:17 GMT-04:00 2023

Clemson football enters the 2023 season as an underdog of sorts with 247Sports analyst Brandon Marcello.

That's certainly the case in the ACC with Marcello projecting former division rival Florida State as a Playoff team at No. 4 overall.

"Everything is better when Jordan Travis is on the field. Florida State will have a chance in every game if he stays healthy," Marcello said. "Gone are the days of Travis overshadowing a bad offensive line and creating plays on the fly. No, these Seminoles are finally built to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff with a deep offensive line and a load of stars hauled from the recruiting trail and Transfer Portal. Add an NFL talent like Jared Verse at defensive end and receiver Johnny Wilson (both transfers last season), along with a lot of depth, and it's clear why the Seminoles are ACC favorites."

Clemson checks in seven spots later at No. 11.

"Clemson believes it has upgraded the offense at quarterback and coordinator, but will the receivers respond? Garrett Riley introduced his version of the Air Raid offense this spring after coaching TCU in the national championship but star power was limited due to injuries and precautionary holdouts (only five scholarship receivers were healthy)," Marcello said. "Still, the word is receivers struggled to separate in coverage, which has been a storyline the last two seasons. Quarterback Cade Klubnik has proven himself already but we're told he may have pushed the ball downfield too often as he adjusted in Riley's scheme during scrimmages. Still, remember, Clemson won the ACC title in 2022 amid some disappointment, and yet the belief is the Tigers this year are better than the unit last season."

He says we learned the most about the Tigers defensively this spring.

"Clemson once again looks scary in the trenches," said Marcello. "Freshmen Stephiylan Green and Peter Woods, a former 5-star prospect, were standouts with three starters along the defensive line sitting out. The rotation should be deep next season."

The top trio in the ranking is Georgia then Michigan and Ohio State, with LSU rounding out a top-5.

Nov. 4 home opponent Notre Dame is one spot behind the Tigers (12), with DJ Uiagalelei and Oregon State No. 18, UNC at No. 21, South Carolina at No. 23, NC State at No. 25 and Louisville at No. 30.

Of that group, Clemson has its series interrupted with Louisville after playing the Cardinals as a division rival all but the pandemic-affected 2020 season. Former cross-division foe UNC instead is on the slate and comes to Death Valley in November (Nov. 18th). Clemson travels to South Carolina to close the regular season the next week.