This simply isn’t working.
Through the first three weeks of the 2025 season, Clemson has systematically failed on several levels. The offense is a shell of itself compared to last year. The defense, as head coach Dabo Swinney said, is “soft on the perimeter,” and can’t tackle well enough. Special teams have been a bright spot, but that alone won't win you games.
The Tigers are 1-2 just three weeks after starting the season fifth in the AP poll. A lot about this team, and maybe this program, appears broken right now. Here are 10 areas that just don’t feel right for a variety of reasons:
1. Quarterback’s lack of confidence
Quarterback Cade Klubnik isn’t protecting the football well at all, and he’s not making the confident, game-winning plays when his team has to have them. It feels like a much greater mental block than a physical one. We’ve all seen what he’s capable of doing, throwing for 36 touchdowns last year and entering this year as a Heisman Trophy candidate. But he can’t get out of his own way right now and is a detriment to winning on way too many possessions.
2. Playcalling is a mess
The playcalling is as off as it’s been since 2023, when offensive coordinator Garrett Riley couldn’t figure out how to navigate a new scoring attack with a lack of reliable personnel at receiver. Maybe it’s Klubnik, who looks less decisive, or maybe the absence of star WR Antonio Williams is taking a toll, but nobody looks comfortable, even Riley. Identity is way too overused in college football, but seriously, no one knows what Clemson is trying to be. This marriage is not working right now.
3. When starting slow doesn’t work
Swinney’s mantra of getting better as the season goes along is great and all when you have a soft opening to the season or squeak out a close win against a good opponent. But when you look unprepared like the Tigers did at times against LSU, and you follow it up with disjointed efforts against Troy and Georgia Tech, it’s hard for anyone to believe it’ll get better. Even if Clemson does that patented Swinney improvement, it might not matter by December because the hole they've already dug.
4. Noncomplementary football
Clemson can’t put it all together. The defense gave them a chance to win against LSU, but the offense couldn’t convert enough big plays. Both sides struggled in the first half against Troy, only to wake up in time to salvage a victory. Against the Yellow Jackets, the offense was ineffective when the defense was playing well, and the defense fell apart when the offense needed it to make a stop. Complimentary football, Clemson is not playing.
5. Running back depth
Adam Randall’s transition to running back hasn’t been a failure. It's even been a bright spot, even when he looks unnatural at times. However, the coaches don’t seem to trust him when they really, really should. Klubnik finally got going in the run game for the first time this season against Tech, but only one other running back had a single carry: Gideon Davidson. Clemson isn’t running the ball effectively enough to get other guys ready. WR Tyler Brown has as many rushes as Clemson’s backup running backs. Randall and Klubnik can't carry it alone for the next nine games.
6. O-line concerns
How much of the run-game issues are on the offensive line? Not having starting LT Tristan Leigh is an obvious problem, but the offensive line has been good in spots. They’re coming off their best game, but the consistency isn’t there. Overall, the big boys up front could certainly play better and open up more holes in the run game. The game in Atlanta showed they’re capable of moving people, but they didn’t come through on a couple of key drives, and the 3.7 yards per carry on the season isn’t good enough.
7. Defense isn’t all that
Clemson has multiple starters on this year’s defense who will have long, high-paying careers in the NFL, but as a whole, this group isn’t living up to expectations. It’s not the stop unit it was billed to be, and maybe last year’s issues were talent and not scheme. Tom Allen is a long-running, successful defensive coach, but even he might not be able to turn this into a top-5 defense. And maybe they don’t need to be, but the stars aren’t showing up enough to make up for the less talented players who are failing to make big plays.
8. Disheartened Dabo
Swinney’s words don’t hit as hard anymore. They don’t have the same conviction about them right now. He’s trying to figure it out. He’s trying to get his players to respond, play harder, and execute better, but his postgame press conferences seem more toned down. His optimism isn’t at its peak level. His responses to “what went wrong?” are more redundant than ever. Vibes aren’t a true measure of anything, but Swinney’s feel very subdued.
9. Too many long-term problems
Maybe that’s because Swinney knows what Clemson is going through can’t be fixed in a season. These problems are on a much higher level and take total revamping. The kind that take transfer portal moves and maybe staff changes. It was definitely that way last year when the defense fell apart, and during the 2022 season when the offense didn't take off with Brandon Streeter running the show. Major changes may be needed that can’t happen in September, meaning a lot of suffering for fans before things improve.
10. Motivation changes
This is a very different era of college football than the days when losing wasn’t acceptable. Players are making hundreds of thousands of dollars, and in some cases, millions. That has to affect drive, determination, and the will to win at some level. Maybe the losses don’t sting as much, and guys know that if this year doesn’t work out, they can enter the transfer portal and bolt for a better, maybe even more lucrative, situation.