“Don’t sleep on Clemson”: Greg McElroy shows confidence in Dabo Swinney-led Tigers despite ‘shaky’ performance in last year’s opener
The Clemson Tigers have been one of the best teams in college football and the ACC over the last 10 seasons. During this time, the Dabo Swinney-led program has won two national championships and made it to four.
But last season was not a "normal" Clemson season. The program underperformed and at times struggled against their opponents. However, coming into this season, Greg McElroy, host of the Always College Football podcast, is confident that the Tigers will be back to their normal form.
"Don't sleep on Clemson, because their defense is build like a championship unit at all three levels, and offensively, if they can get more consistency out of Cade Klubnik and the run game ... Clemson are flying under the radar in a good way." (2:41)
McElroy hopes that the general strength and talent of the Tigers will be enough as Dabo Swinney's team set to right the wrong of last season. The poor performances from the Tigers began in the opening week. They faced fellow ACC program the Duke Blue Devils and were easily defeated 28-7.
A couple of weeks later, they faced the Florida State Seminoles, one of the stronger teams in the conference. The Tigers lost this game, and this defeat was followed by losses against the Miami Hurricanes and the NC State Wolfpack.
The inital losess shook the program, and they never fully recovered. This, paired with season-ending injuries to star players such as Walker Parks, meant that the Tigers did not have the talent at times to succeed when it mattered.
Can the Clemson Tigers win the ACC in 2024?
However, things are looking bright for the Clemson Tigers as Dabo Swinney's team prepares for the 2024 season. Some key players who spent most of 2023 on the sidelines, like Walker Parks and Marcus Tate, will return healthy to play for the Tigers.
Additionally, they recruited some talented wide receivers, a position that the Tigers had issues with last season. Four-star recruit Bryant Wesco could bring new life to the position and cause his opponents headaches.
Finally, while the Tigers lost many key players to the NFL draft (Nate Wiggins is the most notable absentee), the same can be said about the Florida State Seminoles. The Seminoles are likely to be the Tigers' closest competitors in the ACC, and if they can outperform Florida State, the championship should return to South Carolina.
Do you think that the Tigers will win the ACC this season?