2025 Clemson Schedule Series: LSU

Garrett Nussmeier and Cade Klubnik could be the top matchup of QBs this season. (Photo: Maria Lysaker / USATODAY)

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Tuesday, January 28 2025

We know the when. We know the where.

Clemson’s 2025 schedule was finalized Monday evening, and the course to get back to the College Football Playoff has been set.

This series will dissect each opponent on the Tigers' schedule, excluding Furman and Troy. By examining the roster, the story of their 2024 season, and moves from the transfer portal, we will paint a picture of how 2025 could look as we inch closer to the start of spring football.

When kicking off this series, one matchup, however, has been set in stone for quite some time.

Clemson and LSU’s clash in the 2025 and 2026 openers will provide a quality opponent to kick off the season. Next fall, a home and away series will begin in the Upstate.

So, how did the Bayou Bengals fare in 2024, and what offseason moves were made in the early stages of the offseason?

2025 Clemson Schedule Series: LSU

2024 Results: (9-4, 5-3 SEC)

Postseason: Texas Bowl W - Baylor (44-31)

LSU’s 2024 season was a roller-coaster affair, to say the least.

The Tigers began their 2024 campaign in Las Vegas against USC, with both considered contenders to be a part of the final 12 teams left standing at the time. Both, in different instances, would learn that this was not the case.

Miller Moss and USC brought it to LSU on that opening Monday night, and that result would, ironically enough, not be the most disappointing loss of the year. Despite heartbreak in Sin City, the Tigers rallied to put together a six-game winning streak, including wins over South Carolina and Ole Miss.

Brian Kelly’s unit looked to be a contender for the SEC, and a three-week stretch would answer that with a definite no.

Starting with a rising Texas A&M in Mike Elko’s first year, the Aggies picked off Garrett Nussmeier three times and snapped LSU’s six-game winning streak on Kyle Field.

The bleeding didn’t stop there.

Alabama walked into LSU’s home turf one week later and poured salt on an open wound, beating down the Tigers 42-13 in a primetime blowout. It got much worse from there.

A matchup with Florida seemed to be the right time for a bounce-back victory, with the team battling questions about Billy Napier’s job status. That opportunity would have to wait as Florida, despite LSU dominating the box score, would fall to DJ Lagway and the Gators in the swamp.

Kelly’s unit closed the season on a better note, with wins over Vanderbilt and Oklahoma getting the Tigers to 8-4 to close the regular season.

LSU certainly dipped below the program and national expectations in 2024, with turnovers, offensive play-calling, and inconsistency on defense being the main factors that led to struggles plaguing the year.

So, what has the staff done so far in the offseason, and what will this incoming recruiting class provide to help flip the Tigers’ fortunes in 2025?

2025 Recruiting Class

Overall Rank: 7th

Top Signee: Five-Star DB DJ Pickett (Zephyrhills, FL)

LSU has 23 commitments coming aboard to strengthen the roster, and it is ranked as one of the top ten recruiting classes in the country. Pickett is considered one of the best players in the country, and could help a defense that needs more consistent play. The Tigers also signed the best in-state talent at two positions, landing RB Harlem Berry and OT Carius Curne, who could contribute early on an incredibly talented offense.

2025 Transfer Class

Overall Rank: 1st

Top Commitments: Edge Patrick Payton (Florida State), WR Barion Brown (Kentucky)

Some of the Tigers’ top additions in the portal will come with some familiarity with Clemson’s recent history.

Patrick Payton was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 and has been a consistent piece for the Seminoles. He had four tackles in this year’s home clash with the visiting Tigers. Looking at Barion Brown, Clemson had their hands full with the speedy wideout in the Gator Bowl, as he scored three total touchdowns and was named the bowl’s MVP. His most notable moment in that matchup came in the opening frames of the second half when he took the opening kick to the house for 100 yards.

Brown’s ability on the perimeter should be an incredible boost for Nussmeier, and LSU’s offensive variety.

Another signee that will be familiar to Clemson is Braelin Moore, a former Virginia Tech guard who saw the Tigers in early November.

LSU certainly should be a better team in 2025 and will face an improved roster to open up their season.

Dabo Swinney joked that Clemson fans will see what Tom Allen is made of with such a task to kick off the new year. With heightened expectations weighing heavy for both rosters, a clash early on like this one will show much of what both teams may offer when a brand new season rolls around.