We begin our preview series of Georgia’s 2024 opponents with a familiar foe and historical rival, the Clemson Tigers.
2023 was a tale of two seasons for Dabo Swinney and his Clemson Tigers. Eight games into the year the Country Gentlemen were 4-4 and coming off back-to-back ACC losses to Miami and NC State. While it might be a stretch to say that Yabba Dabo Do was on the hot seat, it wasn’t a stretch to say that his truck was equipped with heated seats and the boosters were just looking for a reason to hit that button. For his part, Tyler from Spartanburg was ready to hit the ejector seat:
But in college football your luck can turn on a dime. The Tigers opened November with an emotional win over Notre Dame. It was the first of five straight wins to end the 2023 season, including a rousing 38-35 bowl win over Kentucky.
Was that 9-4 season a harbinger of big things for the Country Gentlemen? Or was it a temporary stay of execution for the Swinney regime?
Offense: Join the Klub(nik)
If you’re looking to pin Clemson’s early 2023 struggles on anyone or anything, the Tiger offense would be a convenient scapegoat.
To be fair, expectations for the Country Gentleman attack were decidedly out of whack to begin the year. Heading into 2023 some were plugging first year starting quarterback Cade Klubnik as a Heisman candidate, despite the fact that he’d seen only limited duty in 2022, when more than half of his passing attempts (54) came in a single blowout bowl loss to Tennessee.
Klubnik was supposed to be supercharged by new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. Riley won the Broyles Award in 2022 as TCU’s offensive coordinator before decamping for Auburn with a lake. His explosive attack got the Horned Frogs to a national title game (a very enjoyable one for some of us, I might add…) and the theory was that he would turn Klubnik into the type of reliable air raid signal caller Max Duggan had been.
But as had been the case in the prior two seasons, Clemson football was what happened while Tiger fans were busy making other plans. The Tigers ranked 50th nationally in total yards per game and 52nd in scoring offense. The Lake Hartwell Junior College 11 only broke 35 points once in eight ACC contests (a 42-21 win over Georgia Tech). No wonder poor Tyler was ready to de-Dabo the program.
Klubnik’s physical skills are obvious. The 6’2, 205 pound junior has plenty of pop in his arm, is accurate from the pocket, and is dangerous as an open field runner. But like a lot of first year starters his issue in 2023 was consistency. Klubnik balanced 19 touchdowns with 9 interceptions. Perhaps worse, he threw picks in 8 of 13 games, essentially putting the Tiger defense -1 in the turnover battle before kickoff. That will have to change if the Tigers are to reach their offensive potential in 2024.
It was probably unfair to expect a first year starter with a first year offensive coordinator not to stumble a bit. But for Clemson to take a step forward in 2024 Klubnik will have to be both more consistent and more explosive. There were indications late in the year that he was starting to understand his role and that the game was beginning to slow down for him. If that continues into 2024, Klubnik could have an NFL decision to make by year’s end.
On the bright side for Klubnik and Riley in year two, they’ve got some great weapons to work with. Phil Mafah (965 yards, 13 TDs in 2023) will be one of the ACC’s best running backs. Tight end Jake Briningstool (50 catches, 498 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns in 2023) is also a potential all-conference candidate.
Leading receiver Tyler Brown returns, but Clemson’s best wideout may be a true freshman, Bryant Weston. During his Texas high school career Wesco recorded 109 receptions for 1,903 yards and scored 29 touchdowns. ESPN ranked him the #28 overall player in the class and the #7 wide receiver in a loaded wide receiver class.
It will also be interesting to see how the Clemson offensive line fares with a face familiar to Bulldog fans at the helm. Former Ole Miss head coach and UGA offensive line coach Matt Luke came out of a brief retirement to join Dabo’s staff. Luke is a good teacher and great motivator, in addition to being a strong recruiter. I think he’ll make an early impact on the Clemson front five.
Defense: Deep and Dangerous
While Riley’s offense experienced growing pains in 2023, the Clemson defense experienced no such issues under defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin. Goodwin, who replaced longtime coordinator Brent Venables in 2022, led the Orange and White to a top 10 finish nationally in total defense and passing defense.
The Tigers’ stats were undoubtedly aided by the fact that the Country Gentlemen led the nation in turnovers created with 28. The law of averages dictates that the Tigers will likely regress toward the mean this season.
Clemson will also be replacing a good bit of departed talent on defense. Gone to the NFL are cornerback Nate Wiggins, defensive tackles Ruke Orhorhoro and Tyler Davis, edge rusher Xavier Thomas, safety Jalyn Phillips and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter.
But the cupboard isn’t exactly empty. Potential All-America linebacker Barrett Carter (67 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and safety R.J. Mickens (50 tackles) both opted to return for 2024 rather than enter the draft. Also back will be a pair of talented defensive linemen, T.J. Parker and Peter Woods. True freshman Sammy Brown was a big recruiting win for the Tigers, and if healthy is likely to see starting time by the end of the season.
If there’s a weak spot on this deep, talented defense it’s in the secondary, where replacing Wiggins and Phillips will be a priority.
Special Teams: It Can’t Get Worse?
Clemson’s placekicking was a bit of a mess in 2023. Starter Robert Gunn missed three field goals and an extra point in the Tigers’ first three games and was replaced by graduate walk-on Jonathan Weitz. Weitz had been a career backup before giving up football, only to be called back by Dabo due to the team’s desperation. True freshman Nolan Hauser was recruited to bring stability to the position. We’ll just have to see how that turns out.
The Bottom Line
Clemson has been a preseason top 10 team the past three years only to finish no higher than 13th in the final poll each season. This season feels like a watershed for Dabo Swinney. He’s publicly criticized NIL and eschewed the transfer portal, two things which have become defining characteristics of college football in 2024. If Clemson struggles again, it’s going to be hard for the administration to make a case that Dabo and his approach aren’t the problem.
The season opener against Georgia may set the tone for the season, for better or for worse. Clemson will again be very good defensively, though I do think they’ll regress a touch. In the end it’s the development of the offense behind Riley and Klubnik that will decide how high this team can climb in the ACC and whether the Tigers are a legitimate playoff contender.
Score Prediction: UGA 34, Clemson 24.
Until later…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!