CLEMSON — College and high school football coaches love to say, “you have to make November a month to remember.”

In other words, finish the season strong because that is when championships are usually won and that is what people remember.

In year’s past, that saying worked, and it does in today’s game, but November is not the only month to remember.

September is important, too. If you do not believe look at the Clemson Football program the last few years.

In 2023, Clemson got off to a 3-2 start, with all five games being played in September. The Tigers lost the season opener at Duke and three weeks later lost an overtime game to Florida State.

We all know what happened this year. Clemson lost to LSU and subsequently started the year 1-3, including defeats to Georgia Tech and Syracuse.

Let’s not forget, the Tigers opened the 2024 campaign with a loss to Georgia in 2021 and 2024, meaning Clemson has lost four of its last five season openers, including three in a row.

Why have the Tigers gotten off to such horrific starts in the last five years? Part of it has been its quarterback play.

Since the days of Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, Clemson has not had consistent quarterback play early in the season. The Tigers struggled with D.J. Uiagalelei for a couple of years and then watched Cade Klubnik have his ups and downs the last three-plus years.

As I mentioned in my column on Sunday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney will have to go to the transfer portal more than he has at any point in the portal and NIL era to rebuild his roster. Perhaps the most critical position for the Tigers will be at quarterback.

Though Christopher Vizzina played admirably against Duke when Klubnik injured his right foot the week before, he is likely not the answer for the Tigers next season. Neither is freshman Chris Denson.

They are both unproven quarterbacks and if Clemson wants to end its five-year slide to start every season, it needs to go out and get a proven quarterback out of the portal. Let’s be honest, the chances of Clemson going to Baton Rouge and beating LSU in that Death Valley at night with Vizzina or Denson to start the season, is very unlikely.

Who do the Tigers go get?

There is no way of knowing that at this time. The transfer portal window does not open until Jan. 2 and runs through Jan. 16. However, we do know this, Clemson needs to get an experienced, high level quarterback that can come in during the spring and either win the job or at least make Vizzina and Denson work for it.