Clemson is 1-3 to start the 2025 season. This is the worst start the Tigers have had in Dabo Swinney’s tenure as the head coach of the program. The Tigers’ latest loss to Syracuse perfectly encapsulates the disappointing start to the season.
All of the Tigers most glaring issues were on display in the loss. From the first snap Syracuse went on the attack and it seemed like Clemson had absolutely no answers. The coaches looked rattled, players looked checked out, and nothing could go right for Swinney’s team.
All of the problems are fixable, but it can only be fixed by those willing to put the work in to do so. Judging by the performances of many on Saturday, it's hard to see who is up to that challenge.
Stars aren’t meeting expectations
The toughest part of the bad start is the fact that on paper this Clemson roster is one of the best in college football. People can change their tune now after the start of the season, but coming in everyone in the country felt this Tigers team should be top 5 based on talent alone.
It wasn’t just by blind faith either, the talent was proven. The defense alone has two All-Conference players, three All-Conference honorable mentions, and the ACC defensive rookie of the year from 2024 back. All but one of those players played against Syracuse, yet the defense gave up 433 total yards of offense and 34 points. The game started with star defensive end TJ Parker missing a tackle on Yasin Willis in the backfield on a run that went for 32 yards.
So the talent is present, they just aren’t showing up when it matters.
The best player on the defense has been transfer defensive end Will Heldt. He looks like has a different motor than everyone else. Heldt plays like he has something to prove. The guys around him aren’t playing with the same passion. Peter Woods and Wade Woodaz were fairly silent as Syracuse ran for 98 yards in the first quarter.
Offensively the veteran offensive line has gotten torched a bit the first few weeks. They have been more solid in the run game following the LSU loss, but they can’t pick up a blitz to save their quarterback’s life.
Teams are sending pressures in what seems like every passing situation. Too many times no one up front is picking it up and allowing free rushers in the backfield. This makes a struggling Cade Klubnik’s job much harder.
Cade Klubnik has lost all confidence
Most Clemson fans would agree the biggest disappointment thus far this season has been Klubnik. The quarterback came into the season with Heisman level expectations and has looked far from that caliber of player.
The senior has completely reverted back to his sophomore ways. He’s making bad reads, rushing through his progressions and technique, and being flat out inaccurate at times. Unlike many others, I’m not ready to completely give up on Klubnik though.
This is the same quarterback who threw 19 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in his first year starting then threw 36 touchdowns and just six interceptions the next year. He is capable of completely flipping the script.
At one point against the Orange, Klubnik did well moving the ball down the field and finding open guys. He finished the game with 336 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also threw a bad interception late in the game rushing through his mechanics forcing him to air mail the ball over his receiver’s head.
Klubnik needs to get his confidence back. The difference in how Klubnik looks when he is frustrated and flustered compared to when he plays with confidence and conviction is glaring.
We can look at last season as a great example
Against Georgia in week one Klubnik did not look confident in anything he was doing throughout the game. He threw for 142 yards and an interception against the Bulldogs. At the end of the season though against Texas, Klubnik looked the best he has in his career going into the game. He ended up throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns in a road playoff game. That performance made him a Heisman contender for the 2025 season.
Klubnik is a very good quarterback when he finds his rhythm and poise. He’s gotta find the moxy he had throughout last season and let it be contagious for the rest of the offense. His coaches need to help him with that.
It’s up to the coaching staff
Speaking of those not living up to expectations, the coaching staff has to be looked at too. It is hard to believe that with the amount of talent on the roster, that the staff is doing everything it can to put them in the best position to win.
Swinney over the last few years has gone out and hired two of the best coordinators that can be found at the collegiate level. Yet, for whatever reason the expectations still aren’t being met.
Garrett Riley is in his third season as the offensive coordinator. In that time the offense has had some high points but also many low points. This was supposed to be the year it all came together for Riley’s offense.
Instead the unit has been as inconsistent as ever. The most glaring issue Riley has as a play caller is his reluctance to stick to the run.
Klubnik has shown to be most comfortable when the run game gets going. But, against Syracuse he threw the ball 60 times. Of course, much of that had to do with the Tigers playing from behind the whole game. This was not the best way to attempt to save the game though.
Especially when Adam Randall was averaging eight yards per carry. Putting the ball on the ground a bit more and keeping the struggling defense off the field longer would’ve been the better option.
Speaking of the defense, the coordinator Tom Allen doesn’t get any grace himself either. Sitting in man coverage all afternoon while the defensive backs were getting burnt was probably not the best game plan either. It’s understandable that Allen wants to try to get after the quarterback. When the blitzes aren’t getting home and the defensive backfield can’t cover the other teams receivers though, changes need to be made quickly.
Saturday was an all-around underwhelming performance by a team that is currently disappointing in all phases. The good thing is Clemson gets a bye week now to look things over and clean it all up.