Where does Clemson rank on this list of ACC teams that won the offseason?

Not very highly, it turns out.

ESPN went conference-by-conference and ranked the offseasons of all 68 Power 4 teams, with emphasis on the following criteria:

• “Roster additions through the portal and the high school ranks”
• “Retention of top players who could leave for the NFL draft or the portal”
• “Coaching staff continuity or key additions/upgrades”

With all the above factored in, ESPN ranked Clemson’s offseason at No. 11 among the 17 ACC football teams.

ESPN named three transfer portal acquisitions — running back Chris Johnson Jr., defensive end London Merritt and cornerback Elliot Washington II – as Clemson’s biggest offseason additions, while citing quarterback Cade Klubnik, offensive tackle Blake Miller and defensive tackle Peter Woods as the Tigers’ biggest departures.

ESPN weighed in on what went wrong for Clemson this offseason, as well as what went right for Dabo Swinney’s program:

“What went wrong: This was inevitably going to be an intriguing offseason for the Tigers as they worked to replace a senior-heavy squad with 11 starters graduating or going pro, including nine NFL draft picks. The Luke Ferrelli saga generated a lot of attention and a memorable news conference from Swinney after the Cal transfer linebacker reentered the portal after a week in the program and flipped to Ole Miss. The Tigers had three other defensive starters depart via the portal before then in safeties Khalil Barnes (Georgia) and Ricardo Jones (Vanderbilt) and defensive tackle Stephiylan Green (LSU).

“What went right: The Tigers were much more active in the portal after their disappointing 7-6 season and were able to go get what they needed to fill their starting lineup. Johnson put up 717 all-purpose yards last season at SMU and brings ACC experience as well as elite speed. The secondary added quite a bit of help with Washington, Jerome Carter III (Old Dominion), Corey Myrick (Southern Miss) and Donovan Starr (Auburn), and Clemson picked up some intriguing defensive line prospects as well in Colorado’s Merritt, Oklahoma’s Markus Strong and West Georgia’s Kourtney Kelly (he’s now out because of a torn ACL), who have multiple years of eligibility. The Tigers’ recruiting class, ranked 19th nationally by ESPN, might’ve already yielded their future QB1 as freshman Tait Reynolds continues to make a big first impression.”

ESPN also chimed in on Swinney’s biggest coaching move this offseason, bringing in Chad Morris as the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator to replace Garrett Riley, who was fired in late December after three seasons as Clemson’s OC.

As you know, Morris previously served as Clemson’s OC from 2011-14, and also spent one season at Clemson in 2023 as an offensive analyst:

“After things didn’t pan out with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, coach Dabo Swinney selected a familiar name to reboot Clemson’s offense, as Chad Morris is back as coordinator/playcaller,” ESPN wrote. “Morris was instrumental in Clemson’s rise under Swinney, serving as the Tigers’ OC from 2011 to 2014. His career since has gone through quite a few bumps, and his only other coordinator stint — 2020 at Auburn — didn’t yield great results. But Morris, who spent 2023 as an offensive analyst at Clemson, knows some of the veteran personnel and how Swinney likes to operate.”

Miami is No. 1 in ESPN’s ranking of the best offseasons among ACC teams, with SMU, Cal, Louisville and Virginia Tech rounding out the top five, in that order.

Virginia, Pitt, Georgia Tech, Florida State and NC State make up the rest of the teams that are ranked higher than Clemson. Stanford is last at No. 17.

In addition to its conference-by-conference rankings, ESPN also gave a national list of the 10 best offseasons. Reigning national champion Indiana tops that list, followed by Miami, Texas, Oregon and LSU.

Of course, Clemson will open the 2026 campaign against LSU on Sept. 5 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

“The team that topped last year’s offseason rankings certainly dominated the headlines, as Lane Kiffin’s arrival in Baton Rouge kicked off a wild winter,” ESPN wrote. “LSU retained star defensive coordinator Blake Baker, brought over key assistants from Ole Miss and made portal splashes with quarterback Sam Leavitt, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, defensive lineman Princewill Umanmielen and others. The staff also kept Whit Weeks and others from the 2025 roster.”