PFF Film Season Review: Clemson Offense |
In year two under offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, the Clemson offense saw a resurgence, jumping from 52nd (403 yds/gm) to 11th (452 yds/gm) in total offense. While the group struggled to find the end zone against some of the tougher defenses (e.g., Georgia, Pittsburgh, and South Carolina), they had a remarkable day against Texas, throwing for more yards than anyone had all year against the Longhorns.
With so many of the group’s best players set to return in 2025, there is excitement about the future for this unit. To help us dig deeper, we look at each major contributor’s PFF grades to assess their performance. As a reminder, PFF grades are made by PFF’s senior analysts watching film. “Each player is given a grade of -2 to +2 in 0.5 increments on a given play with 0 generally being the average or ‘expected’ grade. The plus-minus grades are then converted to a 0-100 scale at the game and season level.” Offensive Line The offensive line is where some of the most useful grades can be found because offensive linemen don’t generally collect stats like yards and touchdowns. The chart below shows grades for Clemson’s O-linemen who collected the minimum snap counts. As you’d expect, the further right into the green the better and the further left into the red the worse. Using PFF grades I did a full breakdown of the #Clemson offense. We start on the offensive line, where Blake Miller and Marcus Tate were awesome. Walker Parks was excellent in his first two years at Clemson. Can he get back to that in 2025? pic.twitter.com/T5E0yaRJwW As you can see here, Blake Miller was Clemson’s top-rated O-lineman. Tate, who is departing, was also well-above average and will be tough to replace. Linthicum performed relatively well for a first-time starter. Behind him, Tristan Leigh and Harris Sewell earned closer to average grades, while Parks had some struggles — notably on the late 4th-and-goal run against Texas. It was his lowest season-long grade (57) of his career. He will be back as a starter next season (presumably at right guard) and hopefully regains some of his early success from years ago when he played right tackle (and earned grades of 80 and 76). Wide Receiver After several years of subpar play, Clemson's wide receivers were superb in 2024. At WR, Antonio Williams is a star. Williams-Wesco-Moore is an elite trio. pic.twitter.com/neHDI4sYcS Antonio Williams led the way with the ACC's sixth-highest WR PFF grade. This isn’t too surprising, as he led all Clemson pass-catchers in receptions (75), receiving yards (904), and touchdowns (11). Having him healthy for a full season was a boon for the offense. Behind him is Bryant Wesco, who also had a well-above-average season – especially for a true freshman. He had 708 yards on 41 receptions for an average of 17.3 yards per reception. He was Clemson’s best deep threat since Tee Higgins averaged an absurd 19.8 yards per reception on 59 receptions (1,167 yards) in 2019. Finally having a deep threat transformed Clemson’s offense. His PFF grade would be higher if he was a better run blocker, but his ability as a true outside receiver was critical.
T.J. Moore, who had a career-high 116 yards against Texas, also had an above-average season per PFF. As with Wesco, his performance pushed him past more experienced starters and made him a starter as a true freshman. All three starters finished with over 650 receiving yards. Last year, Clemson’s top three wide receivers finished with under 550 yards (Tyler Brown: 531, Beaux Collins: 510, Troy Stellato: 337). This may have been Clemson’s most improved position group.
Behind the starters, Stellato provided quality depth while healthy (he missed the final few games with injury and then entered the transfer portal). Cole Turner and Adam Randall earned below-average PFF grades. Randall’s breakdown is interesting. He earns the group’s lowest grade as a pass-catcher but is by far the best run blocker. That bodes well for his move to running back. Once he learns the protections, he could be a solid in pass protection and was always good with the ball in his hands – he simply struggled to get open.
Tight End
The PFF grades on Clemson’s two primary tight ends may raise some eyebrows.
The results at TE may surprise some. Jake Briningstool was a record-setting TE as a pass catcher, but Patt-Henry was the better blocker. pic.twitter.com/HMh0FbMWcm
— Ryan Kantor (@ryan_kantor) December 27, 2024
Jake Briningstool had 530 yards and seven touchdowns across 709 offensive snaps but grades below Olsen Patt-Henry due to a large disparity in grades for pass protection and run blocking. While Briningstool holds a small advantage over Patt-Henry as a receiver, Patt-Henry holds a massive advantage over Briningstool as a blocker. Patt-Henry finished with 121 yards and three TDs across 308 offensive snaps. He may not reach Briningstool’s receiving numbers next year, but the overall performance should be at least as good, even if it looks different.
Running Back
Clemson leaned heavily on Phil Mafah at running back, which kept all other running backs below 200 offensive snaps. Mafah earned an excellent grade as a ball carrier but was dinged for deficiencies in blocking. Since he was so heavily utilized and is now departing, the battle for his 694 offensive snaps (despite a torn labrum!) will be interesting. Randall seems to have inside track given the staff is moving to running back to fill the void. Jay Haynes should be back fairly early in the season from his torn ACL, and if he is 100%, he could be above average. Redshirt freshman David Eziomume and true freshman Gideon Davidson also offer some interesting upside with their track speed. Keith Adams Jr. and Jarvis Green are also in the position room, which gives it plenty of depth.
Quarterback
As with running back, the Tigers also leaned heavily on their starter at quarterback, Cade Klubnik. After earning a grade of just 64 in 2023, Klubnik earned high marks from PFF at 89.
Finally, at QB, Klubnik wasn't just good, he was better than most playoff QBs. You can win a National Championship with Klubnik! pic.twitter.com/mEIwuQYbrm
— Ryan Kantor (@ryan_kantor) December 27, 2024
He showed major improvements in decision-making and knowing how and when to use his speed as a runner. He collected 463 running yards and seven rushing TDs, up from just 182 with four TDs. Obviously, better WR play helped his cause, but that goes both ways. As shown in the chart above, Klubnik was towards the top of the PFF grades among Playoff QBs. That proves Clemson has a QB they can win a National Championship with. They will need some improvement from other areas of the offense beyond QB and WR (and more importantly the defense), but they have the most critical piece to top-end success in football, a very good quarterback.
The All-22 film of some of #Clemson QB Cade Klubnik’s greatest hits against Texas remind you how he’s truly grown this year.
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) December 24, 2024
Another season like this, and he’s likely one of the top QBs taken in the 2026 NFL Draft.
pic.twitter.com/WrUhTXHN90
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