This prominent college football pundit is very high on Clemson heading into the 2025 campaign. So high, in fact, that he believes the Tigers will run the table this season.

Longtime college football expert Phil Steele joined The Daily Tip show and says he’s taking the over on Clemson’s over/under win total for the 2025 regular season, which is set at 9.5 wins.

“I think with a much-upgraded defense, perhaps the most potent offense in the country, and a schedule where I have them favored in all 12 games, I think Clemson runs the table this year,” Steele said. “The over/under on them is 9.5. I’m buying the over on that one.”

Steele was asked if this is the year when the Tigers start to reassert themselves as one of the true powers in college football, and if it’s because head coach Dabo Swinney dipped into the transfer portal this offseason to supplement his team’s roster.  

“Yes [regarding Clemson as a college football power], and I don’t know if it’s because he used the portal,” he said. “You look at what they bring in portal-wise — they bring in Will Heldt. I love that at the defensive end spot. Jeremiah Alexander at Alabama, Tristan Smith coming in at the wide receiver spot. But they’re mostly a homegrown team. And the thing I like — you look at Cade Klubnik two years ago, he had a banged-up receiving corps two years ago. A lot of his top wide receivers were out, and he only had 19 touchdown passes and nine interceptions that year. Last year, those injured wide receivers return, they had some additions — all of a sudden, with an outstanding wide receiver corps, Cade Klubnik looked like one of the best QBs in the country, and he was. 36 touchdowns, just six interceptions.

“Well this year, Klubnik has got my No. 2 receiving corps coming back. He’s got my No. 2-rated offensive line. In fact, when I talked to Dabo in the post-spring, he told me he’s got 10 offensive linemen he feels can play. Most coaches, they hope for eight. He’s got 10. That’s a loaded unit, and I like the fact they bring in Gideon Davidson, my No. 3-rated running back coming out of high school this year.”

Steele also expects to see an improved Clemson defense following a subpar season on that side of the ball in 2024.

“Defensively, they didn’t play up to their normal standards last year,” he noted. “They gave up 374 yards per game. But they’ve got arguably the best defensive tackle in football in Peter Woods. Another NFL guy in DeMonte Capehart. You look at the linebacking corps with [Wade] Woodaz and [Sammy] Brown, and they bring in Tom Allen as the defensive coordinator.”