National outlet ranks Clemson football No. 3 preseason

Bryant Wesco and the Tiger receivers look to make Clemson a force to be reckoned with.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - 1 day ago

Clemson exits the spring practice and transfer portal action in a great place.

On3's Andy Staples sees the ACC Tigers as the No. 3 team in the nation currently, trailing just Texas and Notre Dame.

"Yes, Dabo Swinney used the portal a little to fill some minor gaps in an otherwise rock-solid roster. But the most important offseason addition for the Tigers will be defensive coordinator Tom Allen," Staples said. "Clemson’s defensive personnel was fine last season, but it wasn’t deployed properly. Allen will fix that. That means the Cade Klubnik-led offense won’t be forced to win shootouts against better opponents. But with some promising young receivers coming of age, Clemson may just put up those points anyway."

The No. 3 ranking is higher than most for offseason outlooks. Sporting News had Clemson at No. 7 in a composite way-too-early average back in January.

Penn State and Ohio State round out On3's Top 5.

It isn't Clemson's opener foe but actually its final November opponent ranked highest among scheduled foes, with South Carolina at No. 12.

"The Gamecocks now fully understand the capabilities of QB LaNorris Sellers, and that has sent expectations through the roof. The schedule is daunting, but South Carolina now has the kind of premium players (edge Dylan Stewart and offensive tackle Josiah Thompson) that are required to reach the level to which they aspire," said Staples.

The next-highest-ranked ACC team is SMU at No. 14, which comes to Clemson in October.

LSU checks in at No. 15.

"The Tigers hit the portal hard to shore up a defense that has been below LSU’s standard from a talent perspective. But just as promising is the possibility that freshmen like cornerback D.J. Pickett look like the freaks LSU used to bring in every recruiting class. QB Garrett Nussmeier is excellent, and if the Tigers can replenish a line that is mostly off to the NFL, they should compete for a CFP berth," Staples said.

Louisville is another team on the schedule to make the ranking, at No. 24.