Clemson isn’t shying away from the sky-high expectations it enters the 2018 college football season with.

Senior linebacker Kendall Joseph made it clear the Tigers have their sights set on getting to Santa Clara, Calif. — the site of this year’s College Football Playoff National Championship game.

“Absolutely. That’s it,” Joseph said. “That’s where we’re at, that’s where Clemson’s at, that’s the goal. So, nothing short of that.”

Clemson took to the practice fields Friday for the start of fall camp, fresh off being ranked the No. 2 team in the country in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll. The ranking is tied for the highest preseason Coaches Poll ranking in program history, matching the mark set by the 2016 squad that went on to secure Clemson’s second-ever national title.

The 2018 Tigers are hungry to accomplish what that team did, and that was reflected in their attitude at the outset of August practice.

“Great energy,” Joseph said. “You can tell it’s a very experienced team. People came out here with a lot of pride and wanted to show they were ready all throughout the summer, and that’s what we did.”

If Clemson is to meet its lofty expectations, it must have great leadership from guys like Joseph who were a part of the 2016 team and know what it takes to reach the mountaintop.

Fortunately for the Tigers, this is the most veteran team Dabo Swinney has had as Clemson’s head coach. After having just six scholarship seniors in 2017, the Tigers have more than three times that many this season.

“It’s awesome because there’s so many voices of leadership,” Joseph said. “It’s not one guy just always talking or feeling like he has to talk. It’s kind of just whoever feels moved to talk. Guys make sure that they let other people know that hey, you can speak up. I’m a senior linebacker and people might look to me to lead, but I look to J.D. Davis to talk or Judah Davis or Chad Smith or Jalen Williams. It’s not just all about me because I’m the well-known old guy.

“I think that’s what beautiful is having plenty of leadership throughout the team, so it’s good.”

Clemson is rightfully optimistic heading into the season, with one of the most talented rosters in the country that includes a record 61 lettermen from a year ago, including 17 that were starters off last year’s team.

That team went 12-2 and made it to the College Football Playoff for a third straight year before falling to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. While that loss serves as extra motivation for the Tigers, they have turned the page and are excited for what this season has in store.

“We definitely remember last year, but we’re excited about this year,” Joseph said. “We weren’t sitting around moping or anything like that, we just attacked it, and it was one of the best summers I’ve been a part of. … That’s just going to transition all throughout the year, and we’ll see what happens this year.”

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