As Clemson football fires on all cylinders through its first days of fall camp, a chorus of critics-turned-believers is emerging from the woodwork, and the loudest among them has issued a stunning apology. Aaron Torres of The Aaron Torres Podcast, a media personality who has been "hypercritical" of Dabo Swinney's philosophy for years, has officially reversed course, admitting he was "wrong" and now calling the Tigers a top-five team.
"I'm wearing my Clemson Orange today just to show Dabo Swinney how terrible I feel for all the criticism of the last four or five years," Torres declared on his podcast.
Torres's skepticism had been rooted in Swinney's "old-fashioned" style, which seemed validated after the program's 9-4 finish in 2023—its first single-digit win total since 2010. But according to Torres, Clemson's triumphant 2024 season, which included an ACC Championship and a College Football Playoff appearance, was the moment everything changed.
"Up until last year, it felt like the wrong way in this new world to do things," Torres confessed. "Well, all of a sudden, Clemson beats SMU in the ACC championship game. They go to the college football playoff. I think it's easy to forget. They move the ball about as well as anybody in college football on Texas last year."
Now, Torres is as high on Clemson as any pundit in the country, citing the Tigers' immense returning production and the leadership of a third-year quarterback in Cade Klubnik as reasons why they will be a top-five team in the upcoming Associated Press poll.
The new season presents a monumental opportunity for the Tigers to prove their newfound believers right. After falling flat in their 2024 opener against Georgia, Clemson will face an LSU squad that has spent the entire offseason motivated by a "paw print on the bags" mentality, with head coach Brian Kelly even stoking the fire by claiming LSU's stadium is the "true Death Valley."
Torres has no doubt about the outcome. "I've said it. Clemson's beating LSU in week one," he boldly predicted. He sees this game as much more than just a season opener. "What I think is interesting about that game is Clemson, I think, can make [the LSU game] a statement for the entire ACC that could carry weight all year, and I think could carry weight into the playoff."
With fall camp underway and an experienced, veteran team ready to go, Clemson has the chance to not only silence its critics but also to make a powerful statement that resonates far beyond Death Valley.