Clemson football ranked No. 3 in post-spring Top 25 projections

Another spring is in the books under Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney. And this one feels like it has a ton of juice behind it.

The Tigers have one of the best rosters in the country and what many believe is by far the best in the ACC ahead of teams like Miami and SMU who are projected to give Clemson a run for its money this season. However, Swinney sets the Tigers apart as the best coach in the conference.

Swinney's Tigers had a strong spring with very few injuries and little attrition as some guys stepped up from the portal like Tristan Smith and Jeremiah Alexander who led both the offense and the defense, respectively, in the spring game. There's also Purdue transfer Will Heldt coming in who has been tabbed as the transfer to keep an eye on in college football this year.

With the three newcomers from the portal, a solid 2025 recruiting class, and the most returning production in college football, Clemson figures to be a problem this season.

Andy Staples agrees, ranking the Tigers No. 3 in his post-spring Top 25.

This isn't all that shocking considering the Tigers bring back arguably the best quarterback in the country to go along with the deepest crop of wide receivers. On top of that, Clemson has an elite defense to help out, led by three projected first-round picks in 2026.

Being behind Texas and Notre Dame almost feels disrespectful at this point, but the Tigers are directly ahead of Penn State and the reigning national champions.

Buy stock in Clemson now, folks.