With the Clemson Tigers now on their bye week, it is a perfectly good time to sit back and reflect on what all needs to happen to get the most out of the second half of their season. Clemson gets the good fortune of hosting FCS Charleston Southern for a noon kickoff right out of its bye. After that, it will only be Power Four teams the rest of the way: Five more league games. and then South Carolina.
In a best-case scenario, maybe Clemson wins out to finish the regular season 10-2 overall and 7-1 in ACC play, with an opportunity at redemption in Charlotte versus Miami? If it hits the fan, then maybe Clemson is still fighting for bowl eligibility come late November? Either way, Clemson has to take ownership of what is in front of them. It all starts by providing solutions to their ongoing problems.
If Clemson can rectify all these pervasive issues, then the Tigers could become a second-half force.
Chad Morris has to set Tait Reynolds up for success in every single start
Even in defeat, Tait Reynolds played the best game of his Clemson career so far against Miami. He completed 29-of-44 passes for 295 yards. While Reynolds did not find the end zone, and turned the football over twice, he is clearly progressing with every game rep he gets. However, the second half of the season may decide how good Reynolds can be in 2026. Chad Morris cannot screw this guy up.
Rather than getting cute with Chris Denson running the Wildcat, or fake timeout plays with Gideon Davidson getting stuffed at the line to gain on a fourth-and-short, just put Reynolds in a position to succeed. He is the best thing this team has going for it right now, and into the future. Clemson is nowhere close to being nationally relevant, but it can be a fringe ACC contender if Reynolds grows.
Morris did not ask to be starting a true freshman, but Reynolds gives Clemson its best chance to win.
Matt Luke has to get anything positive out of this toothless offensive line
At some point, Swinney is going to need to light a fire under Matt Luke and his woebegone offensive line. While Clemson does not have the best history of being utterly ferocious up front, can we please get more than a bunch of Thurman Murman's out there who are biding their time in between making sandwiches by playing some football? Miami exposed Clemson's front five in only a matter of plays.
Luke used to lead his alma mater Ole Miss before getting back to his roots as an offensive line coach. The guy won national titles at Georgia as a part of Kirby Smart's staff. To be honest, he probably won with Sam Pittman's players. Either way, Luke has to prove to everyone that he is no longer living on his past reputation, and actually start coaching again. Clemson cannot resemble stuffed tigers up front.
If Clemson wants to be a team the rest of the ACC takes seriously, the offensive line must grow up.
Clemson's defensive line rotation needs to become less of a bottleneck
Entering this season, Clemson's biggest weakness was not its quarterback room or its offensive line. It was its defensive line rotation. To be frank, this is a far cry from the Clemson teams of yesteryear. The Tigers were able to win national titles because of the elite defensive line it one had. Now, we have a lackluster unit that has not been at full strength, and will never be at full strength the entire season.
While Amare Adams, Andy Burburija, Champ Thompson, and others have tried their best to hold their own this year, the guys are clearly outmanned. The Vic Burley saga has been an ice cream headache all summer long and into the fall. Swinney may need to get his most talented defensive lineman going, no matter how unreliable and mercurial Burley may be. This unit has to rise to the level of this defense.
Tom Allen has been coaching his tail off on his side of the ball, but the defensive line must be better.
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