Heading into the 2025 campaign, this ESPN analyst is higher on Clemson than any other team in college football.
On his Always College Football show, ESPN’s Greg McElroy ranked his top 10 teams going into the upcoming season, and Clemson landed at No. 1 in his preseason top 10.
“You look at this roster all over the place, man, it is stacked. This is their year,” McElroy said of the Tigers. “This is Clemson’s year to really make a run. It feels like they’ve circled 2025 and this is the year to go all in, and they could very do so.”
McElroy explained the biggest reasons why he loves Clemson – its passing attack and defensive line.
“Those are the things that stand out to me and kind of take them from a good team to an elite team,” McElroy said. “I think Cade Klubnik is the best returning quarterback in America. He’s got tons of experience going into his senior year. He’s started now, this will be his third year. Was widely considered to be a guy that was somewhat disappointing two years ago with how he performed, and then the way he played last year was amazing. He showed great development. … The other part I love about his game was how much more effective he became as a runner. … You saw some of the athleticism, and I think the chemistry that he’s going to have now in his third year working with his offensive coordinator, Garrett Riley, is going to allow him an even deeper understanding of how to attack teams, when to attack teams situationally, and how to execute in high-octane situations like a two-minute drill.
“His supporting cast is off the charts. If you look at the wide receivers, it’s probably as good as we’ve seen from Clemson in a really long time. Look, for a while there, they were kind of banged up. They were really young at wide receiver. That’s no longer the case. Antonio Williams is going into [redshirt junior] year, one of the best wideouts in America, and just a great playmaker, well-rounded wide receiver. But on the outside, you have unbelievable speed in Bryant Wesco, who can get over the top of anybody defensively. You’ve got size, strength, matchup problems, refinement from T.J. Moore. Those two guys going into their sophomore year, you can expect a huge jump from them. This group is extremely explosive and they’re extremely well-rounded.”
As bullish as McElroy is on Klubnik and the Tigers’ wide receivers, he believes the D-line “might be the best unit they have on their team.”
“Which is kind of wild when you think about it, because it’s constantly considered, at least for the last few years, one of the better groups in America,” McElroy said. “It all starts with T.J. Parker, who at the defensive end spot led all Power 4 edge defenders with 12 sacks last year. Incredibly disruptive. Every single time he was on the field, it felt like he was on the cusp of taking over the game. Peter Woods, last year, because of depth issues, had to slide out to defensive end. Now he’s going to be back to his more natural position of defensive tackle. Really good against the run. Really disruptive on the interior. So, they should be really good with those two stars along the front, but they get deep in a hurry as well.
“You add Will Heldt from Purdue, really highly regarded player coming over. They don’t often go to the portal, but now they have some depth at that position. You made him a high priority. You’ve got a true freshman in Amare Adams, you’ve got to feel good about how he could factor in at some point during the season. And the new DC with Tom Allen coming down, I think this could make this group even more aggressive than they a year ago. So, I love what they have at wide receiver, with all that weaponry, and I love what they have along the defensive line.”
After going through what he loves about Clemson, McElroy cited one area of concern for the Tigers entering this season.
“The one question mark is the running back depth. … They’ve got plenty of guys, it’s just a lot of it is unproven,” he said. “They’ve never had the workload that’s going to be expected from them in 2025 as a featured back.
“So, that’s the one question on the roster. But right now, Clemson is the top dog coming into 2025.”
The Tigers will open the season against McElroy’s preseason No. 7 team, LSU, at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30 (7:30 p.m., ABC).
You can see McElroy’s full preseason top 10 below and hear his commentary on each team in the following video:
No. 10: Miami
No. 9: Oregon
No. 8: Ohio State
No. 7: LSU
No. 6: Georgia
No. 5: Alabama
No. 4: Texas
No. 3: Notre Dame
No. 2: Penn State
No. 1: Clemson
–Photo courtey of Kirby Lee-Imagn Images