Clemson needs philosophical shift, even if they win ACC

Clemson can reverse their decline quickly, but it will take a serious change of philosophy, Ryan Kantor writes.

by Ryan Kantor - Contributor - Dec 2, 2024, 7:00 AM

In a backward and upside-down day in college football, Clemson fell to South Carolina, then clinched a berth in the ACC Championship Game a few hours later. The Gamecocks ran the ball relentlessly until Clemson finally broke, allowing a game-winning 20-yard QB touchdown run on 3rd-and-16. Clemson pass rushers consistently hit and hurried QB LaNorris Sellers but couldn’t bring him down. It was their ultimate undoing.

Clemson was tied or ahead for all but 68 seconds but got overly conservative in key moments rather than going for the kill shot. The most notable instance was when Clemson got the ball up four points with six minutes remaining. Rather than attacking downfield, where they’d had success, they ran a jet sweep and simple running back hand-off up the middle. That put them in a third-and-long which they failed to convert. They then punted, and South Carolina responded with the game-winning drive.

While there were some questionable replay reviews, there was nothing fluky about the outcome. Clemson lost at the line of scrimmage and once again was gashed on the ground. They surrendered 267 rushing yards and a whopping 431 yards in total. Clemson’s offense failed to convert a key 4th-and-1 from the 11 in the jumbo package and only collected 66 yards from star running back Phil Mafah. It’s a disappointing loss and drops Clemson to 0-2 in non-conference games against Power 4 (formerly Power 5) opponents, continuing an alarming trend.

Back in 2012, Clemson opened the season by beating Auburn in the old Georgia Dome and closed it by beating LSU in the same location. In 2013, Clemson opened with a home win over Georgia and finished with an Orange Bowl win over Ohio State. From 2012 to 2015, Clemson was 9-4 against Power 5 non-conference opponents. They weren’t just beating up on a weak ACC, they were beating the biggest brands and best teams in the country. This catapulted them into their best years (2016-2019), when they played for four National Championships and won two.

Now, the opposite is true. After Clemson’s second loss to an SEC team this year, the Tigers are now just 5-7 against Power 4 non-conference opponents since 2020. Even that record is generous as it is padded by mid-tier bowl wins over Kentucky and Iowa State and lacks the kind of marquee wins the Tigers were securing in the past. Clemson has gone from SEC Killers to ACC Cupcake eaters. Fans will be reminded of the Tigers’ streak of 9+ win seasons, but like cupcakes, those wins are empty calories. Clemson is 0-2 against ranked opponents and their best wins are against Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh – fringe bowl teams.

While most had tempered expectations for Clemson this season (I predicted Clemson to finish 10-2), a 9-3 record against a far weaker schedule than expected is certainly a disappointment. So, what’s the solution?

Clemson has brought in nationally acclaimed assistant coaches in each of the past two offseasons. While the coaching has improved, it hasn’t been enough. I’ve written extensively about Clemson’s need to use the transfer portal. Many readers are tired of hearing about it, but at this point there’s enough evidence to conclude it is near-impossible to compete for the National Championship without some portal additions. A major change here is now a must.

During the South Carolina game, Athletic Director Graham Neff shared a message about the 110 Society (Clemson’s NIL collective) on the Jumbotron. They will now be rewarding donations to the 110 Society with IPTAY priority points. Clemson desperately needs donors to embrace NIL for talent acquisition. As wrong as “pay for play” may feel to some, it is now critical to attract players from the portal and to hold together a strong high school recruiting class (Clemson only has 14 recruits in their 2025 class after seven decommitments).

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has wholeheartedly expressed excitement for revenue sharing. Starting in July of 2025, each athletic department will be given what is essentially a salary cap and then assign a share of that to each sports team for the respective coaching staffs to allocate. This should help level the playing field somewhat, but NIL is not going away. While more enforcement of NIL rules is promised as part of this agreement, relying on this promise may be naive.

Clemson can reverse their decline quickly, but it will take a serious change of philosophy. Saturday’s video from Graham Neff seems to indicate it is in the works, but it will require commitment from donors and Swinney to make it a reality. In the short term, Syracuse gave Clemson a massive gift by upsetting Miami and sending Clemson to the ACC Championship. While the season seemed unofficially over walking out of Death Valley, they gave Clemson new life. This doesn’t change the systemic issues they must address over the offseason, but it gives them a chance to shift the narrative by beating SMU, winning a conference title, and getting one more shot at a Power 4 non-conference foe in the playoff. A strong finish to the year with a serious commitment to changing roster strategies moving forward could quickly shift the program’s course. We’ll see if they’re willing and able.