CLEMSON — Through five games, Clemson Football is where most think they should be.

No one is surprised that the Tigers lost at No. 10 LSU and to No. 4 Miami. Though the way Clemson looked in the LSU game is probably the biggest disappointment of the season to this point.

So, here we are at the midway point of the season. We have seen some bad things and some good things – hence their 3-2 overall record.

Most of the bad stuff has come on offense for Clemson. Below is what this writer feels is a fair grade for the offense. I’ll grade the defense on Sunday in case you are interested.

Quarterback

Clemson started the season with Christopher Vizzina at its quarterback and following an elbow injury early in the game against Georgia Southern, plus the deficiencies on the offensive line, offensive coordinator Chad Morris and head coach Dabo Swinney promoted freshman Tait Reynolds. The move is understandable when you look at the issues on the offensive line. Reynolds’ ability to move and escape an always collapsing pocket, plus his arm strength, gives the Tigers a fighting chance to make a play when things break down. Reynolds is also pretty accurate on the run. On the season, Clemson’s quarterbacks have thrown 2 TD passes and 5 interceptions. If this was 1986, then the Tigers would be in fine shape. However, it’s not. The quarterback position needs to be much better than what we have seen. Reynolds has shown improvement since taking over. He has shown off his arm strength several times and proved against Miami he can make plays with his legs and his arms against an elite defense. The problem is, he is a freshman and he makes mistakes, especially when it comes to taking care of the ball. He has lost three fumbles this season to go with three interceptions. One of his interceptions was returned for a TD, while one of his fumbles was picked up and returned for a score.

Grade: D

Running Back

Gideon Davidson has emerged as Clemson’s primary running back, as he showed in the UNC and Cal games what he can do when the offensive line is doing its job correctly. He struggled a little bit against LSU and lacked patience for a little while in the Georgia Southern game. But he exploded for 105 yards against UNC and then backed it up with 159 rushing yards and 2 TDs at Cal the next week, including a 75-yard jaunt. Davidson has also improved in his pass protection reads. Despite the OL’s struggles, he is averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Jarvis Green has become Clemson’s No. 2 running back, it seems. He is averaged 4.2 yards per carry and has been productive when he gets his opportunities. Chris Johnson Jr., is averaging 4.6 yards per carry, which is good, but he has not shown any explosiveness and has been non-existent in the passing game. His longest play from scrimmage is a 21-yard run. At times, he is not trusting his blockers or the play call and is trying to do too much and not what the play is set up for him to do.

Grade: C

Tight Ends

From a pass catching standpoint, the tight ends have not done much – a combined 13 catches for 115 yards and one TD. Obviously, that does not get you excited. However, the tight ends are asked to do a lot in Chad Morris’ offense and that means doing of lot of things to help a young and struggling offensive line. The reason tight ends Olsen Patt-Henry, Christian Bentancur and Logan Brooking are not catching as many passes as we would have thought by now is due to the O-Line. They are having to stay in and chip on pass protection, which for the most part they are doing a decent job. Their run blocking has been well. When given the opportunity, the tight ends have done their job well. Can they get better? Sure, they can, and we will see if they do so in the second half of the season.

Grade: B

Wide Receivers

It has not been perfect. There have been some drops by all involved at key moments. Bryant Wesco dropped what would have likely been a touchdown against UNC. Tyler Moore dropped a possible TD against Miami, and, at times, T.J. Moore has struggled to find the football in the air and let his quarterback down. However, all three have made huge plays at some point, as well. Moore had seven catches for 103 yards and a TD against Georgia Southern. Wesco caught nine passes for a career-high 152 yards against Miami. Tyler Brown had 10 catches for 76 yards against the Hurricanes, and also had 76 total yards against Cal. He had a 34-yard TD run to seal the Tigers’ win over the Tar Heels and added a 27-yard run against Miami for 103 total yards. Their blocking down field has also improved, as has their ability to separate and get open, which they struggled to do in the LSU game.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

Okay, the offensive line was AWFUL in the Tigers’ losses to LSU and Miami. I mean, awful. Some of it is because of youth and inexperience, but most of it is due to missed assignments or not doing anything remotely close to their job. If you do not believe me, go back and watch Eric Mac Lain’s breakdown from the Miami game and you will get an idea of what I am talking about. The offensive line also struggled against Georgia Southern, which was also unacceptable. And though they showed tremendous improvement in the UNC and Cal games, they took a huge step backwards in the loss to Miami. Their incompetence in the Miami game was awful, and any more performances like this could get their quarterback hurt.  

Grade: F

Overall

Dabo Swinney likes to say the score at halftime is the most useless statistic is sport. It does not mean anything. Let’s hope he is right. Because at halftime in the 2026 football season, the Tigers are awful on the offensive side of the football. If you averaged the grades I handed out in Clemson’s five position groups and averaged on a college grading scale—not the one Michigan uses for its freshmen—the Tigers GPA over the first half of the season comes to a 1.6. That is good enough to put the offense on academic probation. So, I am going to put them and offensive coordinator Chad Morris on football probation for the time being.

Grade: D