Clemson Tigers: Dear Santa

I am a Clemson Tigers fan. I am also a Christmas fan. Sadly, I am all grown up and tend to be realistic about what I ask for these days. When I was a kid, I had some grand wishes. I didn’t just want the Millennium Falcon toy, I wanted the real Millennium Falcon. Optimus Prime too.

If I try hard, I can still channel my inner Christmas child. Here are the things that child-me would wish for, and what grown-up (boring) me would wish for.

Clemson Football

Child-me: I want Cade Klubnik to win three Heismans on his way to leading Clemson to three national titles!

Grown-up me: I have high hopes for Klubnik, but I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. Given the challenges of the past two seasons for the Tigers, I think the key thing I am wishing for is good luck on the injury front. I think Klubnik can have a very good 2023 season if he can have a full spring with a full squad around him. Last spring, there were so many injuries around him, primarily at wide receiver and running back, it was hard for the Tigers to just have a glorified scrimmage. My wish for Clemson football is good health.

Clemson Basketball:

Child-me: I want ACC tournament championships, and to go to the Final Four and win it all!

Grown-up me: I am wishing for consistency in both programs. I think a team from a power conference should set the floor for expectations as qualifying for the NCAA tournament 50% of the time. Every other season, two out of every four seasons, it doesn’t matter. Some programs need to cycle up, so a young team might miss the conference two years in a row, but eventually, the team needs to build up their experience and make the dance. I am cautiously optimistic about both teams this season. They have both shown that they can play very well.

Clemson Baseball:

Child-me: Omaha or bust!

Grown-up me: I’d love to see the Tigers in Omaha, but one day at a time. I am excited about new head coach Erik Bakich. I see all the recruiting effort he is putting in, and if he puts the same effort into developing his players, I think this can be a good team. I would like to see the Tigers finish in the top half of the ACC and win a few games in the ACC tournament. I think if they can accomplish that, they have a chance to host a regional, but even if they don’t, just making the NCAA tournament is a step forward.

Child-me thinks most of grown-up me’s wishes for the Clemson Tigers are boring

Clemson Softball:

Child-me: Win it all! National Championship! Valerie Cagle wins USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year!

Grown-up me: I wish for Clemson softball to keep doing what they are doing. They have been the feel-good story of Clemson sports in this decade. Cagle has been the best Clemson athlete from any sport since Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne went to the NFL. Despite their early success, the Tigers are still building this program. I hope Cagle does win POTY in her time at Clemson, but whether she does or not, one day she will move on. The next step will be maintaining the consistency the program has established.

I don’t think it’s hard to sum up what grown-up (boring) me wants for Clemson from Santa: consistency. National championships and POTY awards are awesome, but it is also unrealistic to expect them all the time, even for the best programs. What I want is for Clemson athletics to be consistently competitive. I think all of them can achieve that.