Where Clemson landed in CBS Sports 'programs set up for future national titles' tiers
With the SEC and Big Ten pulling in record money and only adding to it with future TV deals, the top tier is heavily tilted toward those two conferences. CBS broke teams into tiers based on recruiting muscle, financial backing, available talent, leadership advantages and whether their expectations match reality.
Clemson landed in the 'Silver' group — the third tier — sharing the spot with Tennessee, Miami, Florida State and Auburn.
'All five have hoisted a national championship trophy before, which proves it's possible again,' CBS' Brad Crawford wrote. 'Whenever Clemson finally exits the ACC and joins one of the super leagues in the next wave of realignment, the Tigers should see a revenue bump that lines up with college football's biggest spenders. But whenever Dabo Swinney steps down, whoever follows him will have a major task trying to keep that level of success going. The sport is more balanced than before, and recruiting isn't what it was during Clemson's title years.'
At the top sits the 'Diamond' level, filled mostly with SEC powers — Texas, LSU, Georgia and Alabama — plus Ohio State out of the Big Ten.
One step down sits Notre Dame at the front of the 'Gold' tier, joined by Michigan, Oregon, USC and Texas A&M. Clemson's recent dip into the portal also got a nod from ESPN's Adam Rittenberg: 'The big change is coach Dabo Swinney's willingness to add a few portal pieces,' he said. 'Heldt joins an already talented defensive line, and Southeast Missouri State's Tristan Smith provides a big frame (6-foot-5, 205 pounds) for the receiving corps. Clemson had a relatively small number of outgoing transfers, although defensive tackle Tre Williams could be missed.'
For now, Clemson enters the fall with high expectations yet again — ranked inside the Top 5 by multiple outlets and favored to take the ACC crown. After winning two titles and appearing in four national championship games from 2015 to 2019, the Tigers aim to get back to the playoff's final four for the first time in half a decade.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Clemson returns most experienced team in football in search of 3rd national title in 10 years
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Clemson Tigers have all of the pieces in place to win another national championship. Now it's just a matter of executing. The Tigers return the most experienced team in college football, and will be heavy favorites to win their ninth Atlantic Coast Conference championship in the past 11 years. They return eight starters on both sides of the ball with a combined 309 starts. ESPN's Bill Connelly has Clemson's return production rate at 80%, the highest in Division I football. That includes a Heisman Trophy hopeful at quarterback in Cade Klubnik, who is 19-9 as Clemson's starter and is coming off a season in which he threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns with only six interceptions. The Tigers are particularly stacked at wide receiver with any of six players capable of starting for most teams around the country. Combine that with a certain future College Football Hall of Fame head coach in Dabo Swinney and you have a recipe for success. But Swinney said that while having so much returning experience is 'awesome,' it comes with a cautionary tale. 'Experience, as they say, doesn't come at a discount,' said Swinney, who led Clemson to national titles in 2016 and 2018. What the 55-year-old head coach means is there are no shortcuts to success — and nothing is guaranteed. 'The guys have put the work in," Swinney said. 'We've been around a lot of good teams, and this team has the ingredients to be a really good team, but we've got to go do the work. We can't talk about it or predict our way into it." The Tigers will be tested right off the bat, opening the season at home against Southeastern Conference power LSU. A year ago, Clemson lost to Georgia 34-3 in Week 1, leading some to question whether the Tigers would embark on a fast, downward spiral. Instead, the Tigers bounced back with six straight wins and went on to beat SMU 34-31 in the ACC championship game at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium, earning a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff. 'We've got a bunch of great young men,' Swinney said. 'Our quarterback, especially, that's had to manage success well, and he's had to manage some failure well, too. He's grown into a great leader of our team.' In an age where players are transferring from school to school on an almost daily basis, Clemson has been able to keep the vast majority of its players in Death Valley. Swinney attributes much of that to a program at the school called the P.A.W. Journey, where players are taught everything from how to tie a tie and write a resume, to financial literacy and the means of secure internships across the world. 'These guys can leave any time they want,' Swinney said. 'They have to choose, first of all, to come, and then they have to stay. I just think that says a lot about kind of how we put it together on the front end in recruiting guys that really align with our purpose, guys that really value education and want structure and family and accountability.' Klubnik is a perfect example. He could have left Clemson at any point during his 3 1/2-year career when times got tough, but chose to stay and was rewarded last year with being named MVP of last year's ACC championship game. The Tigers lost 38-24 to Texas in the first round of the playoffs, but Swinney said his players have used that as motivation. 'Certainly last year and getting a chance to maybe get a little glimpse at the top of the mountain, that's certainly given them a little fuel as they've gotten back to work since January,' Swinney said. No one wants it more than Klubnik. He feels the Tigers have the talent and experience to win it all. 'We've been a young team, I feel like, every year I've been here,' Klubnik said. 'We're a veteran team and very experienced, got a lot of guys that have played a lot of ball. That's really exciting, but we've got to go do it. We've got to go do it and take advantage of every opportunity we get.' It appeared not long ago that Clemson's success might taper off after the NCAA relaxed rules about players transferring from school to school. But the Tigers, despite not being big players in the transfer portal, have remained consistent. This past season they joined Alabama, Florida State and Oklahoma as the only teams in college football history to win at least nine games in 14 straight seasons. It's a streak Swinney hopes to maintain. 'That's really for us what it's always been about, just being incredibly consistent. We're not perfect, but we're incredibly consistent. That's because we're purpose driven and we're relationship driven. I think our program reflects that purpose in everything, in every aspect.' ___
Fox Sports
27 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Clemson returns most experienced team in football in search of 3rd national title in 10 years
Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Clemson Tigers have all of the pieces in place to win another national championship. Now it's just a matter of executing. The Tigers return the most experienced team in college football, and will be heavy favorites to win their ninth Atlantic Coast Conference championship in the past 11 years. They return eight starters on both sides of the ball with a combined 309 starts. ESPN's Bill Connelly has Clemson's return production rate at 80%, the highest in Division I football. That includes a Heisman Trophy hopeful at quarterback in Cade Klubnik, who is 19-9 as Clemson's starter and is coming off a season in which he threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns with only six interceptions. The Tigers are particularly stacked at wide receiver with any of six players capable of starting for most teams around the country. Combine that with a certain future College Football Hall of Fame head coach in Dabo Swinney and you have a recipe for success. But Swinney said that while having so much returning experience is 'awesome,' it comes with a cautionary tale. 'Experience, as they say, doesn't come at a discount,' said Swinney, who led Clemson to national titles in 2016 and 2018. What the 55-year-old head coach means is there are no shortcuts to success — and nothing is guaranteed. 'The guys have put the work in," Swinney said. 'We've been around a lot of good teams, and this team has the ingredients to be a really good team, but we've got to go do the work. We can't talk about it or predict our way into it." The Tigers will be tested right off the bat, opening the season at home against Southeastern Conference power LSU. A year ago, Clemson lost to Georgia 34-3 in Week 1, leading some to question whether the Tigers would embark on a fast, downward spiral. Instead, the Tigers bounced back with six straight wins and went on to beat SMU 34-31 in the ACC championship game at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium, earning a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff. 'We've got a bunch of great young men,' Swinney said. 'Our quarterback, especially, that's had to manage success well, and he's had to manage some failure well, too. He's grown into a great leader of our team.' Clemson's experience speaks to its retention rate. In an age where players are transferring from school to school on an almost daily basis, Clemson has been able to keep the vast majority of its players in Death Valley. Swinney attributes much of that to a program at the school called the P.A.W. Journey, where players are taught everything from how to tie a tie and write a resume, to financial literacy and the means of secure internships across the world. 'These guys can leave any time they want,' Swinney said. 'They have to choose, first of all, to come, and then they have to stay. I just think that says a lot about kind of how we put it together on the front end in recruiting guys that really align with our purpose, guys that really value education and want structure and family and accountability.' Klubnik is a perfect example. He could have left Clemson at any point during his 3 1/2-year career when times got tough, but chose to stay and was rewarded last year with being named MVP of last year's ACC championship game. The Tigers lost 38-24 to Texas in the first round of the playoffs, but Swinney said his players have used that as motivation. 'Certainly last year and getting a chance to maybe get a little glimpse at the top of the mountain, that's certainly given them a little fuel as they've gotten back to work since January,' Swinney said. No one wants it more than Klubnik. He feels the Tigers have the talent and experience to win it all. 'We've been a young team, I feel like, every year I've been here,' Klubnik said. 'We're a veteran team and very experienced, got a lot of guys that have played a lot of ball. That's really exciting, but we've got to go do it. We've got to go do it and take advantage of every opportunity we get.' It appeared not long ago that Clemson's success might taper off after the NCAA relaxed rules about players transferring from school to school. But the Tigers, despite not being big players in the transfer portal, have remained consistent. This past season they joined Alabama, Florida State and Oklahoma as the only teams in college football history to win at least nine games in 14 straight seasons. It's a streak Swinney hopes to maintain. 'That's really for us what it's always been about, just being incredibly consistent. We're not perfect, but we're incredibly consistent. That's because we're purpose driven and we're relationship driven. I think our program reflects that purpose in everything, in every aspect.' ___ AP college football: and recommended Item 1 of 3
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Notre Dame Class of 2026 tight end target Evan Jacobson predicted to land at Texas A&M
Notre Dame landed a pair of elite tight end recruits when the program received commitments from Ian Premer and Preston Fryzel, two key offensive components in its Class of 2026. The Fighting Irish were also once considered leaders for the pledge of Waukee (Waukee, IA) tight end Evan Jacobson. But with two at the position already in the fold, tight end is seemingly taken care of in this class, which is one reason recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong gave an expert prediction for Jacobson to land with Texas A&M. Jacobson, who is also a very good basketball player like his father, who played hoops at Nebraska and Iowa State, is the second-ranked player in the state of Iowa, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Jacobson's offer list became even longer throughout this offseason, and he now has well over 30. Among the more notable power programs that have offered him besides the Irish are Ohio State, Penn State, LSU and A&M. One thing is clear: no matter where Jacobson lands, Irish fans have to be ecstatic about the future with Premer and Fryzel in the fold. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave
