Clemson landed in the top five of another national outlet’s early preseason rankings.

CBS Sports released its post-spring top 25 this week, stacking up the top teams in college football coming out of spring practices and the spring transfer portal window.

Clemson (10-4, 7-1 ACC in 2024) checked in at No. 4, behind only defending national champion Ohio State at No. 1, Texas at No. 2 and Penn State at No. 3. After Clemson, Georgia rounds out the top five.

Here’s what CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello wrote about the Tigers, who are coming off their eighth ACC Championship in the last 10 seasons, as well as their first College Football Playoff appearance since the 2020 campaign and seventh all-time CFP berth.

No one has been criticized quite like Dabo Swinney in the transfer portal era. His reluctance to lean on a quick-fix solution in recruiting led to some hiccups, but fantastic retention has allowed the program to develop homegrown talent, much like the Tigers did in the heydays of the four-team CFP. Clemson enters the season with the nation’s most returning production, led by star QB Cade Klubnik. The receivers finally stepped up last season en route to a CFP appearance to give the Tigers a glimpse of the explosive offenses of the past.

LSU, which will open the 2025 season against Clemson at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30, landed four spots behind Clemson at No. 8 in the CBS Sports post-spring top 25.

“Garrett Nussmeier is the best quarterback in the SEC until Arch Manning or someone else proves otherwise on the field,” Marcello wrote of LSU. “The Tigers looked like a championship team midway through 2024 but fell apart down the stretch, particularly against Alabama. LSU recruited the nation’s No. 1 portal class, adding several big-time receivers and upgrading depth in the trenches. Brian Kelly had won 10 games or more in seven straight seasons until falling flat in 2024. This team is built to win an SEC title.”

Miami is the next highest-ranked ACC team behind Clemson, with the Hurricanes coming in at No. 11. Louisville (No. 23) and SMU (No. 24) are the other two ACC squads in the rankings.

Clemson doesn’t face Miami during the 2025 regular season, but the Tigers will host SMU on Oct. 18 before traveling to Louisville on Friday, Nov. 14.

Clemson’s archrival, South Carolina, is ranked No. 22. Of course, the Tigers and Gamecocks will square off on Nov. 29 in Columbia.

“If South Carolina is legitimately a top-25 team in back-to-back years, it’s because we’re mentioning more players than just quarterback LaNorris Sellers and edge rusher Dylan Stewart,” Marcello wrote. “The Gamecocks might lack an explosive receiver, too. The defense will need to take some pressure off Sellers to deliver late in games, which he too often had to do last season.”

Former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables’ Oklahoma team made the top 25 as well, with the Sooners ranked No. 18.

Clemson was also recently ranked in the top five (No. 5) of USA Today’s too-early college football top 25 preseason rankings.