CLEMSON — Clemson had one of its most successful NFL Drafts in its storied history. In all, Tigers were selected, tying the school record for the most selections in the common draft era.

Blake Miller became the first Clemson offensive lineman drafted in the first round of an NFL Draft since 1960, as he went in the first round to the Detroit Lions. Defensive tackle Peter Woods soon followed, as he went to Kansas City, giving the Tigers two first-round selections.

By the end of the fifth round, all nine former Tigers were taken, marking the first time in the history of the draft that Clemson had nine players selected in the first five rounds.

However, as good as all of that sounds, it also stings because despite all of that talent, the Tigers were just 7-6 in 2025 and lost to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. It was not the kind of season that usually generates nine NFL Draftable players.

In a way, it was a bad look for the program.

“I get the connectivity point of ‘look at all this talent and what the heck happened,’ Clemson athletic director Graham Neff said in a recent interview on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast. “That narrative is a very understandable, but it is proper to go forward and chose the talent at hand, it is still Clemson and I am pumped about what the 2026 season starting in Baton Rouge come the fall.”

The Tigers open the season at LSU on Sept 5, a game that ESPN has already announced will be a primetime game and will be the feature game on its pre-game show College GameDay.

With Chad Morris returning to run the offense, plus Clemson brining in 10 new players from the transfer portal on defense, everyone is interested to see if the Tigers can go back to being a playoff caliber team or is the 2025 season a sign of things to come in the program.

“It is still Clemson and it is not ‘rest on the laurels at all’… That is still the expectation of Coach [Dabo Swinney] of himself and of his program that we all have and are excited about, being a really good football team,” Neff said. “At the end of the day, scoreboard matters. You get into one possession or key player here or there and at the end of the day, it comes down to coaching at decision making and players to make the difference in games.

“Our schedule is stout this year in what the ACC is bringing back, and obviously our non-conference schedule with the Gamecocks and for the second straight year opening with LSU, an SEC team… Without going down the whole schedule, it is a lot at hand.”

Neff mentioned he also understands there is some uncertainty, in terms of key roster spots, such as at quarterback, offensive line and depth at linebacker.

“That brings a lot of focus to competition in spring ball, summer ball and ultimately fall camp,” he said. “The competitive depth side of things that Coach talked a lot about, as it relates to restocking the roster… There is high expectations and I say that because it is Clemson and not in an overarching way.

“Yes, it is still Clemson and yes, we have those expectations to perform on the field. What that means off the field for a business and a revenue standpoint is critically important. That is my job. But (we have) heavy expectations as we get into the fall, that brand of football, let alone the competitive success that we have to look forward to.”