You snooze, you lose. To that end, USA Today’s Matt Hayes has Pete Thamel’s “slept on team” at No. 3 in his projected 2025/2026 College Football Playoff bracket. It’s a program with a championship pedigree, a Hall of Fame coaching lineage, and the kind of historical clout that makes you wonder why anyone ever counted them out in the first place. Yet, for reasons that baffle those paying attention, this team isn’t just being overlooked—it’s being outright slept on. And one of ESPN’s top voices is calling it out.

The team ACC team with three national titles, five championship appearances, and 28 conference titles to its name. This isn’t some plucky underdog clawing for relevance. Once ruled by Hall of Fame, coach John Heisman—yes, that John Heisman. The 2024 ACC champions Clemson Tigers, no stranger to the mountaintop. The good news? Dabo Swinney has finally adapted to the sport’s new reality, and the pieces are in place for Clemson to roar back into contention.

On the ESPN College GameDay Podcast, Pete Thamel laid it out plainly: “I think the team that’s being a little bit slept on right now is Clemson for 2025.” So, what’s changed? For starters, Swinney retained his 6′ 2″ QB1, Cade Klubnik, and if Thamel’s assessment is correct, that might be the biggest factor of all. “When you look at Cade Klubnik, he’s a top-three quarterback in the sport for next season.”

That’s a bold statement, but not without merit. With his 36-6 TD to INT ratio, Klubnik has the talent, the experience, and now, for the first time in his career, a receiving corps worthy of Clemson’s past dominance. Thamel emphasized that Clemson has “finally got that receiver core,” a unit that had lagged behind since the DeAndre Hopkins era. Antonio Williams and Bryant Wesco bring explosive playmaking ability back to Frank Howard Field, solving one of the most glaring issues that held the offense back in recent seasons.

But Clemson’s resurgence isn’t just about Klubnik slinging passes to a revitalized receiving group. The Tigers’ defense is built to be a force again, and Thamel highlighted just how much talent is stockpiled on that side of the ball. “They’ve got some dudes, man. They’ve got Peter Woods. Linebacker Sammy Brown was one of the best true freshmen in the country last year. Wade Woodaz is sort of like that do-everything guy that a defense needs.”

That’s a lethal combination of proven experience and rising stars. For the first time in a while, Clemson isn’t just relying on homegrown talent alone. Dabo Swinney, long resistant to the transfer portal, has finally adjusted. “They went to the portal and got some dudes. How about that?” It’s a small change on paper, but in the evolving landscape of college football, it’s a seismic shift for a program that refused to modernize for too long.

Beyond the roster moves, Swinney has fortified his coaching staff with a blend of seasoned tacticians and fresh minds. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen left Penn State to join the Tigers, a decision that, according to Thamel, was heavily influenced by family ties but also speaks to Clemson’s appeal as a coaching destination. “Tom’s an accomplished defensive coach who will do a fantastic job,” Thamel noted, adding that Allen’s son, a former linebacker under him at Indiana, has also joined the staff.

Clemson also brought in former East Carolina head coach Mike Houston and longtime NFL scout Kevin Kelly from the Chargers, a sign that the Tigers are finally embracing a more professionalized approach to program-building. As Thamel put it, “Clemson is modernizing, and it’s nice to see it.”

The pieces are all there. Yet, Clemson remains an afterthought in national discussions. That won’t last long. With an elite quarterback, a retooled supporting cast, and a coaching staff built to adapt, the Tigers are primed for a return to prominence.

Dabo Swinney embracing the dawn of a new Clemson recruiting era

Coach Dabo Swinney’s recruiting game is evolving. To that point, this week, his team didn’t add a single new signee—extending a three-year streak of not landing a player in February. Clemson’s 2025 recruiting class wraps up with 15 signees, placing them at No. 26 nationally according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. It may not be the flashy signing period some expected, but it’s a sign that Swinney is willing to play the long game.

Looking ahead, the schedule doesn’t paint a beautiful picture. Week 1 kicks off with a tough non-conference showdown against LSU, and then the challenges continue with projected ACC battles against Syracuse, North Carolina, and SMU. Daunting indeed!

Despite this grueling lineup, Swinney’s recent coaching staff additions and a promising new portal signee have injected fresh energy into the program. DSwinney has done enough to earn some credit as he begins a brave new era in Clemson recruiting.

Evidently, he has it.