Clemson fans know the road back to the top of college football is never easy, but if there’s one thing Dabo Swinney’s Tigers do, it’s fight. Athlon Sports just dropped their preseason rankings for 2026, and they’ve got Clemson at number 27. That’s a number that stings for a program used to living in the playoff conversation, but after last year’s 7-6 grind, the doubters are circling. Let them. The Tigers have heard it all before, and there’s nothing this team loves more than proving the national talking heads wrong.
If you want to know what’s fueling Clemson’s climb back to the mountaintop, look no further than the bold moves Dabo and his staff are making in the coaching booths and the all-in bet on a young quarterback ready to seize his moment.
Describing the strategic pivot, Athlon senior editor Steven Lassan noted, “Coach Dabo Swinney hopes the return of former play-caller Chad Morris sparks an offense returning one of the nation’s top receiving corps but is also breaking in a new quarterback.” That new quarterback is sophomore Christopher Vizzina, who faces the immediate task of fending off incoming four-star freshman Tait Reynolds.
Lassan is right about one thing: if Vizzina steps up, this offense has the firepower to light up the scoreboard. With Gideon Davidson pounding the rock and Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore stretching the field, the Tigers have weapons everywhere you look. Sure, the O-line has some new faces, but when has a little adversity ever stopped Clemson from rising to the occasion? Fall camp is where legends are made.
On the other side of the ball, Tiger fans can breathe a little easier. Tom Allen’s defense is built on toughness and tradition, and even with some big names off to the NFL, there’s no shortage of playmakers ready to step up. Will Heldt is set to wreak havoc off the edge, and Sammy Brown is a tackling machine in the middle. The staff went out and landed some serious talent in the portal, too—Elliot Washington and Jerome Carter bring fresh speed and swagger to a secondary that’s hungry to prove itself.
The so-called experts are busy hyping up Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, and even Indiana at the top of the polls, while Miami gets the ACC love at number 7. But Clemson’s got a chance to make a statement right out of the gate, heading into Death Valley South to take on LSU in Week 1. And you better believe the Palmetto Bowl against South Carolina—just one spot behind us at 28—is going to be circled in orange. The road won’t be easy, but that’s just how we like it.
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