USA TODAY Sports' re-rank of all 136 FBS college football teams has Clemson near No. 1
The Clemson Tigers sure look poised for a big year ahead in 2025.
While kickoff for the 2025 college football season is still over three months away, the hype and buzz around the Clemson program has been building for months.
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The Tigers' spring game did nothing to dampen those spirits, with transfer receiver Tristan Smith, running back Gideon Davidson and transfer linebacker Jeremiah Alexander all having impressive showings in the annual Orange and White Game.
Smith caught five passes for 137 yards, the highlight being a 73-yard touchdown against cornerback Corian Gipson. Davidson rushed for 31 yards and went for 43 yards receiving out of the backfield. Alexander notched seven tackles (four solo).
With quarterback Cade Klubnik taking a gargantuan step forward in 2024 (3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns) and showing off the tools that made him a 5-star recruit out of Austin, Texas, plus a defensive line that returns projected top NFL draft picks T.J. Parker and Peter Woods from a team that won 10 games and the ACC title, Clemson has the talent to make a deep run in the College Football Playoff.
On Monday, USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg re-ranked all 136 teams that will compete at the FBS level in 2025 following the conclusion of spring practices across the country. Clemson was ranked No. 2 behind the Texas Longhorns and first-year starting quarterback Arch Manning.
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Dabo Swinney's team ranked ahead of Penn State at No. 3, the Georgia Bulldogs at No. 4, and Notre Dame at No. 5.
Clemson's season-opening opponent, the LSU Tigers, were ranked No. 6. Behind Clemson, the highest ACC team in Myerberg's re-rank were the Miami Hurricanes at No. 9. Jeff Brohm's Louisville Cardinals cracked the top 25 at No. 16.
Further down Myerberg's rankings, Florida State was at No. 50 after the Seminoles' ugly 2-10 campaign last season, and South Carolina placed just outside the top 25 at No. 27.
Earlier this spring, Myerberg said of Clemson:
"Klubnik and the defending ACC champions will be expected to repeat in 2025 and go deeper into the playoff. The offense could have issues at RB after projected starter Jay Haynes tore his ACL in the ACC title game, though freshmen David Eziomume and Gideon Davidson looked good in the spring. Defensively, expect Clemson to rebound under new coordinator Tom Allen after falling to ninth in the ACC in yards allowed per play this past season. The pieces are in place for a run at the national title."
Clemson hosts LSU and Garrett Nussmeier in a battle of early Heisman Trophy favorites Aug. 30 at Memorial Stadium.
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Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson football just misses top spot in expert's post-spring rankings
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