CLEMSON – Last season, almost every offensive lineman who was selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft (who did not play in the College Football Playoff) opted out of a bowl game.

LSU’s offensive tackle Will Campbell, the No. 3 pick in the Draft, decided not to play in the Texas Bowl to prepare, according to his social media. Missouri’s Armand Membou, the No. 7 pick for the New York Jets, also decided to opt out of his team’s appearance in the Music City Bowl against Iowa.

While it has become common practice for NFL Draft hopefuls, including players like Campbell and Membou, to opt out of bowl games that lack championship implications, Clemson offensive lineman Tristan Leigh, currently projected as a later-round pick according to NFLDraftCountDown.com, believes that a bowl game is an invaluable opportunity to play one last time with his teammates. 

“I don’t ever take a single day for granted here that I get to strap ‘em up with my brothers,” the senior said. “There’s been a streak of us having bowl eligibility back to 1999… so that’s a responsibility to keep that going, and I absolutely plan on doing that.”

As Leigh mentioned, the last time the Tigers were not bowl eligible was in 1998, when Clemson went 3-8 in its fifth and final season under head coach Tommy West. The next year, the first season under Tommy Bowden, the Tigers finished 6-6 and advanced to the Peach Bowl, ultimately falling to Mississippi State. Since then, the Tigers have never failed to meet eligibility requirements.

Since head coach Dabo Swinney took over in 2008, the Tigers have been 12-9 in bowl games, including a 6-5 record in games that took place in the College Football Playoff. For Swinney, one of three sitting head coaches with a national championship victory, playing in any bowl game is a positive experience.

“We’ve got an incredible, one of the best and longest bowl eligibility streaks out there,” Swinney said at his weekly Tuesday press conference. “It’s been going a long time before I got here, so there’s a lot of pride in that too. But hey, you got to go earn it, and we got three more games and we got to find a way to get it done.”

For younger players like Jeremiah Alexander, a junior transfer from Alabama, Leigh’s dedication to becoming bowl eligible and playing in a postseason game, regardless of the result, serves as inspiration to keep fighting to win two more necessary games.

“Being able to go out there with those guys for another game would be a blessing,” the linebacker said. “Especially T-Leigh man, he lays it out each and every weekend that he can.”

“He’s been kind of banged up this season, but you know, (Leigh) is my guy, and I would love to go out there and play one more game with all the seniors.”

In order to keep the 25-year bowl game streak intact and give the seniors, including Leigh, quarterback Cade Klubnik, linebacker Wade Woodaz, and wide receiver Antonio Williams, another chance to play, the Tigers (4-5, 3-4 ACC) will need to beat two of their next four matchups.

On its remaining schedule, Clemson has Furman, South Carolina, and a final chance to even its ACC record against Louisville this Friday. The Tigers and the Cardinals will kick off at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Coverage will be shown on ESPN

The game will not only serve as a stepping stone to bowl eligibility, but it will also serve as a chance to rematch a bitter 33-21 loss to the Cardinals at Memorial Stadium last season.

Photo by Bart Boatwright