Though the Clemson football program is only two days removed from the end of its 2024 season, Tiger fans are already looking forward to 2025. After all, everyone associated with the team will want to get the taste of the 38-24 loss to Texas out of their mouths.
Fortunately, this fall's emergence of QB Cade Klubnik and the growth of a young wide receiver corps should give the Tigers a strong foundation to build on for 2025. In fact, Klubnik will enter next season as one of the top Heisman Trophy contenders.
However, until the Tigers fix their run defense, they aren't going to be contending for the National Championship any time soon. That was a reality that was exposed in Saturday's loss to the Longhorns.
Texas, which features a dominant offensive line, had its way on the ground with the Tigers. Running for 292 yards as a team, the Longhorns saw both running backs Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner surpass the century mark.
As a result, Clemson never put the game on the shoulders of Texas QB Quinn Ewers, who had to attempt only 24 passes in the victory. What's more, the fact that Klubnik outplayed Ewers was neutralized by the dominance of the Longhorn rushing attack.
This wasn't the first time that Clemson struggled to stop the run in 2024, though. In fact, that was a problem that popped up quite often against quality teams.
In the season-opening loss to Georgia, the Tigers allowed the Bulldogs to run for 169 yards and average 6.3 yards per rush. That day, Georgia found the endzone twice on the ground in a 34-3 drubbing of Clemson.
Then, after a six-game winning streak, Clemson allowed Louisville to come into Death Valley and run for 210 yards and three TDs in a stunning 33-21 victory over the Tigers. That day, Clemson let Louisville's Isaac Brown gallop his way to 159 yards while averaging 7.6 yards per carry.
A few weeks later, in the Palmetto Bowl, South Carolina ran wild on Clemson in Death Valley. The Gamecocks rushed for 267 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 6.4 yards per carry on their way to a 17-14 win. That day, it was the QB run game that killed Clemson as USC's LaNorris Sellers went nuts with 166 yards and a pair of scores while averaging 10.4 yards per carry.
In fact, every Clemson loss this season saw the Tigers prove incapable of standing up to the opposition's ground attack. That's not how to win championships at the highest level of the sport.
Just consider that three of the teams still alive in the College Football Playoff, Penn State, Ohio State, and Texas have top-ten rush defenses in the country. Meanwhile, other teams still hoping for a national championship, teams such as Notre Dame, Arizona State, and Georgia all have top-40 rushing defenses. Meanwhile, Clemson is No. 64 nationally against the run after the Texas game.
The question is whether Clemson can beef up its defensive line enough this offseason. The program will bring in 5-star defensive lineman Amare Adams from the high school ranks. The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder will add some talent to the program's defensive front but will he be enough to fix all that ails Clemson's run defense? Likely not.
Thus, head coach Dabo Swinney might have to do something he isn't accustomed to doing. He might have to go find solutions in the transfer portal. This year, he's already brought in his first-ever defensive transfer in Purdue edge rusher Will Heldt but he needs to find some veteran run-stuffers to help sure up what was his program's greatest weakness. Until that happens, Clemson won't truly be a contender to be anything more than first-round playoff fodder at best.