Clemson's season sadly ended in the first round of the College Football Playoffs, but it's never too early to start thinking about 2025. With the New Year comes an opportunity to make changes. Traditionally, people make New Year's resolutions to organize their goals for the upcoming year. So that begs the question of what Clemson's New Year's resolutions should be.
The Tigers are already making changes, with Wes Goodwin moving on from his defensive coordinator role, but there is much more to consider. Since 2020, Clemson has fallen short of expectations. Sure, it won at least 10 games in four of those last five, but with its dominant run from 2015 to 2019, winning two national championships and playing for two more, the last five seasons have fallen short of the mark.
Here, we'll cover some of the issues to fix and goals the Tigers should strive for this offseason, heading into the 2025-26 season.
Clemson football 2025 New Year's resolutions
Offense
Divide the rushing load
The Tigers had one of the best running backs in the country: Phil Mafah. The senior broke 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career, carrying the ball 216 times for 5.2 yards a carry. He was the definition of a bellcow back.
Unfortunately, with RBs, the physical grind is brutal, slowly making Mafah a dying breed. Clemson paid for it dearly in the first-round playoff game against Texas. Mafah, dealing with an injury, was limited against the Longhorns. He had only two carries for nine yards.
Instead, the Tigers turned to Keith Adams Jr. and Adam Randall to carry the load. Adams Jr., who had just 30 carries all season, managed only 11 yards on three attempts against Texas. Meanwhile, Randall, typically a wide receiver, switched positions for the game and recorded the first four carries of his career, impressively gaining 44 yards.
This season, Clemson needs to divide the workload. Having a workhorse like Mafah brings consistency, but when he's gone, there's no one else with experience effectively crushing the rushing attack. Randall could shine at RB, so keeping him there would be wise, but spread the love to Adams Jr and Jarvis Green to lessen the risk of injury.
Run Cade, run
On that note, another player whose rushing capabilities shined this season could make a difference in 2025. Quarterback Cade Klubnik's most improved area was in the rushing game. He was the second-leading rusher on the team with 463 net yards on 119 carries. That's including Clemson's 25 sacks allowed. In total, Klubnik rushed for 642 yards and seven touchdowns.
Not only does it help in the Tigers' rushing game, but when opponents have to respect the QBs legs, it opens up the passing game as well. There's no better example of how dangerous he is than his performance against Pitt. Klubnik carved up the Panther defense with his third-best passing performance against a conference opponent.
However, as Clemson drove the field in the waning seconds for the go-ahead score, Pitt backed off, playing prevent defense. At the 50-yard line, the junior play-caller took a QB draw to the house. The Tigers need to play to Klubnik's newfound talent, putting as much pressure on opposing defenses as possible.
Lean on the receivers
With that many weapons in the backfield, it'll be hard to account for all of them, and that's without considering the rising stars in the receiver room. After beginning the season without a true WR1, Clemson developed a three-headed monster on the outside.
Antonio Williams returned from a season-ending injury the year prior and produced a 904-yard, 11-touchdown season, leading the team in both categories. While the stat line itself was impressive, what he did outside of the traditional WR role suggests he could be a Swiss Army Knife for Clemson in 2025.
He gained an additional 101 yards on the ground and a touchdown. He also completed both attempted passes for 62 yards and another touchdown. Leaning on his talents could open up the offense next season.
Bryan Wesco Jr. and TJ Moore broke out this season, coming in second and third, respectively. Both showed the potential to take over games. They have four games with at least 100 yards and 10 touchdowns combined. Together, Wesco and Moore make a lethal one-two punch
Next: Defense