With the beginning of fall camp at Clemson just around the corner, the start of the 2026 football season is inching ever so closer.
With that in mind, now is a good time to start diving into the opponents on the Tigers’ schedule.
2026 Schedule
- Sept. 5: at LSU
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina
- Sept. 25 (Fri.): at Cal
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami
- Oct. 10: Open Date
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech
- Oct. 31: at Florida State
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech
- Nov. 20 (Fri.): at Duke
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina
Week 11: Georgia Tech (9-4, 6-2 ACC)
This is a series Clemson has dominated of late. Up until last season, that is.
The Tigers carried a nine-game winning streak over Tech into Bobby Dodd last September, but a 55-yard walk-off field goal snapped that streak, sending Clemson to its second loss across the first three games of the season.
When the Yellow Jackets visit Death Valley on November 14, they will be looking for back-to-back wins over the Tigers for the first time since winning four straight in the series from 2007-09. That includes the Ramblin’ Wreck beating Clemson twice in 2009, with one of those coming in the ACC Championship Game, a conference title that was later vacated.
This will be a much different team, as the Jackets brought in close to 20 players from the portal, including a new quarterback to replace the departed Haynes King. Alberto Mendoza is slotted to take over as the signal-caller. Mendoza, the younger brother of Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, comes over from Indiana. The younger Mendoza was a Top 100 prospect coming out of high school.
Former Georgia Tech quarterback George Godsey is the new offensive coordinator after Buster Faulkner left to take the same job at Florida. Faulkner loved to turn to King in the running game, while Godsey is expected to lean more heavily on his running backs. That brings us to one of their biggest portal additions, running back Justice Haynes, who comes over from Michigan. It’s worth noting that Clemson recruited Haynes hard coming out of high school. Last year’s leading rusher, Malachi Hosley, is back, which should give Tech a legit duo in the backfield.
One question mark is the offensive line, as only two starters return from last year’s team. Center Joseph Ionata transferred in from Alabama to go along with Ethan Mackenny, who returns at left tackle. Jameson Riggs, another former Clemson target, is expected to take over at right tackle, while Kevin Peay Jr. slides in at right guard. Both are first-year starters and have very little experience.
The receivers room looks much different, too. Transfers Isaiah Fuhrmann (Elon), Javien Plummer (Cal) and Jaylen Mbakwe (Alabama) are all expected to play key roles. Tight end Gavin Harris also transferred in from New Mexico State.
Tech also comes into the 2026 season with a new defensive coordinator as Jason Semore comes in from Southern Miss. And he’s got some nice pieces to work with.
The defensive line was retooled through the portal, with edge rusher Noah Carter (Alabama) leading the charge. The Jackets also added pass rushers Taje McCoy (Oklahoma State) and Jordan Walker (Rutgers), as well as Tawfiq Thomas (Colorado) to shore up the interior. This has the potential to be a really strong group.
Leading tackler Kyle Efford is back at linebacker, while second-leading tackler EJ Lightsley also returns. Cayman Spaulding gives the Jackets a third backer with plenty of experience.
There will need to be some improvements on the backend, as Georgia Tech was 6-1 last season when allowing fewer than 225 passing yards, and 3-3 when it gave up more.
Jonas Duclona (USF) is the only portal addition for the secondary, but he is a big one. Safety Tae Harris, a former Clemson commit, is back and is expected to take a major jump in year number two. Fenix Felton also returns.
Finally, Aidan Birr is back as the placekicker, and every Clemson fan certainly remembers exactly what he’s capable of.
The Yellow Jackets are going to be tested fairly quickly, with a schedule that only features one non-Power-4 team. Tech opens the season at home against Colorado and then will host Tennessee a week later. Next up is Mercer before a trip out west to Stanford to finish out September.
October features road trips to Virginia Tech and Pitt, and then November is going to be brutal. The month begins with a home matchup against Louisville, then the trip to Death Valley. After hosting Wake, the Jackets finish up by heading to Athens for the rivalry game against Georgia.
With that schedule, Tech could very well be a better team in 2026, while finishing with fewer wins.
