Clemson vaults up post-Signing Day 'early' top 25 |
The Athletic sees Clemson in Playoff position
now after National Signing Day ($).
Stewart Mandel has Clemson at No. 4 now, up from No. 8 back in January, in a Playoff tier with Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia. "Clemson always seems to fare well come the NFL early entry deadline," Mandel said. "This year saw cornerbacks Andrew Booth Jr. and Mario Goodrich move on, but All-ACC defensive linemen Tyler Davis and Xavier Thomas opted to come back, joining Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee in what should be a dominant front four." Also in the top-10 is November road opponent Notre Dame (7), and from the ACC, Clemson is joined by NC State (10), Pitt (13) and Wake Forest (18). Clemson was No. 7 in an NCAA.com early ranking late last week. "It says a lot about a program that winning 10 games and a bowl game is considered a disappointment. But it's clear that times are changing at Clemson, at least on the sideline," NCAA.com's writeup analyzed. "DC Brent Venables is now leading Oklahoma and OC Tony Elliott is Virginia's new coach. The Tigers could be the ACC favorites — they beat eventual conference runner-up Wake Forest by 21 in a 'down year' — but can D.J. Uiagalelei hold off Cade Klubnik for the starting quarterback job?" The top-5 there is Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas A&M and Notre Dame. "The hype would have been even more if the Irish held on against Oklahoma State and ended their BCS/New Year's Six woes," the NCAA.com writeup said. "But Marcus Freeman brings a ton of excitement regardless as he goes into his first full season as Notre Dame's coach. Northwestern DB Brandon Joseph (nine interceptions the last two years) will work with DE Isaiah Foskey and LB Jayson Ademilola and others to form a strong defense. The biggest hurdle will be the schedule: Ohio State, BYU, Clemson and USC are all on it."
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