Clemson Tigers’s 10-4 season in 2024 ended at the hands of Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns in the playoffs. A game in which Dabo Swinney’s team was outplayed despite Cade Klubnik’s late heroics. Run it back with some changes? Well, the 2025 schedule features a number of intriguing games, including a Week 1 non-conference clash with the LSU Tigers. The opener will hopefully set the tempo for the season. If they beat out one of the SEC giants, it would be easier to secure the ACC championship for two consecutive seasons. But a national title dream? Well, no, it wouldn’t be a farfetched aim to chase, but under one certain condition.

College football analyst Josh Pate already provokes the fans to think the unthinkable: a second Natty in a decade. Clemson earned their spot in the playoff through a dogfight and won the ACC title over SMU but received a blow in the first round against Texas. Now they have the crown jewel, Cade Klubnik, in the yard, which Pate deems a game-changer in 2025. It’s not at all delusional. The Tigers have clearly built their high-octane offense around Cade and are psyched for a breakout season. But there is one gamble point out there.

Adding to the big words of Pate, ON3’s JD Pickell said, ”They’re going to be in the mix again; they’ll be there at the very end of this whole thing, and vibes will be once again immaculate for Dabo and the boys on the Roy bus.” But what will be the condition for that? The ON3 analyst sees no issues in the offense. But he thinks it’s the defense that will make the major difference in their season. There is the possibility of flux in the Tigers’ defensive momentum under Tom Allen, but this is what they should heavily keep their focus on.

Addressing the point in detail, PicKell divulged, ”You brought in Tom Allen from Penn State, a guy who was a game away from playing for a national title a season ago, top 15 sack R. We’ve said that many times. I trust the offense which is a refreshing thing to hear if you’re a Clemson fan. I trust who you have at quarterback. I trust your skill players. If the defense looks like the old Clemson, the point of this whole segment, I guess, is to give you national title impact.”

Clemson’s defense currently stands at No. 5 in ESPN’s “best college football defenses” rankings, indicating a strong performance with added attention on the defensive tackle position. Peter Woods’ return to the interior will play a big factor in the Tigers’ defensive line. Now, we have yet to see how Allen uses all the weapons in sync with the lofty hopes and aspirations of the season.

As the spring game kicks in, it’s a good time to evaluate players before the season kicks off. But as it turns out. It’s not the defense that’s under debate. Quite surprisingly, coach Swinney drops a concern about the key cornerstone of the offense, Cade Klubnik.

Cade Klubnik raises concern in lackluster spring practice performance

The Tigers hosted their first spring scrimmage at Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, and Swinney thought his quarterback didn’t bring his best to the table in the friendly competition. “I didn’t think Cade had a good day today. I thought he was very average,” Swinney said. “I think he checked out. I think he’s already gone to Cabo or something. I don’t think he was ready to go today.”

Swinney said Klubnik got limited playing time on Wednesday as backup Christopher Vizzina took the reins of the starting unit. Swinney added that Vizzina developed into a better prospect than last year, leading his first drive of the scrimmage for a touchdown.

The intel around the main guy of the franchise seems a bit disheartening, but it’s not the end of the world. Not doing well in a spring game holds little weight compared to his overall records at Clemson’s starting gig. Klubnik threw for 3,639 yards while completing 63.4 percent of his 486 passes. He threw 36 touchdown passes, ranked third in the country, while also running for 463 yards and 7 TDs. So, he will hopefully deliver when the time demands it the most. With a little more scrutiny on the defense, Swinney might make history in South Carolina. Who knows!