Well, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Penn State’s James Franklin face a crucial 2025 season. Last season, Clemson wrapped up at 10–4, while Penn State pushed further with a 13–3 finish, both showing flashes of greatness and playoff caliber. But this year’s stakes are higher than ever. Both teams possess key returning talent for a championship run, but failure could close their window of opportunity. Lacking depth, they must capitalize now; losing key players would be a major blow for them as they won’t have the depth to pick up the slack. It’s a go big or go home scenario; anything less than a national title risks resetting both programs.
Clemson lost standout players Barrett Carter, Phil Mafah, Payton Page, Jake Briningstool, and Marcus Tate to the NFL, and others like Noble Johnson and Sherrod Covil Jr. transferred. This left Dabo Swinney’s team looking thin. However, Swinney rebounded by retaining key players DeMonte Capehart, Blake Miller, Antonio Williams, Cade Klubnik, Peter Woods, and T.J. Parker. With this returning talent and experience, anything less than a national championship would be a huge disappointment for the Tigers.
The same goes for James Franklin’s Penn State, and Samuel Recker is highlighting the same on his CFB With Sam podcast. “The reason why I called Clemson and Penn State national title or bust teams, which means one of them will probably have a disappointing season guaranteed, because only one team can win it all, is that they’re not recruiting or developing or coaching in recent memory at the level where they could lose all of their seniors this year and not reach the title game or not win it and then immediately reload and be in that conversation next year, especially Clemson, especially them,” Sam said.
Clemson’s playoff hopes hinge on its senior troops. Cade Klubnik’s remarkable turnaround—from shaky in 2023 to a 36-touchdown, 6-interception breakout in 2024 (earning a top-five 87.7 PFF passing grade)—puts him in the Heisman conversation (+900 odds). Similarly, Peter Woods dominates the defensive line, ranking as PFF’s top returning interior lineman despite playing out of position. His impressive stats (89.7 run-defense grade, 14.9% pass-rush win rate) confirm his potential.
Now, just like Dabo Swinney’s team, even Franklin has key returning players like QB Drew Allar, RB Nicholas Singleton, DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, RB Kayton Allen, and CB A. J. Harris. So, the pressure sits straight on them. As Samuel Recker further adds, “Penn State’s just also in the national title or bust conversation because of how good their team should be. Like they should be head and shoulders above everyone else.” Now, it’s not like Penn State isn’t doing anything to maintain that championship run. They have already secured 20 commits for their 2026 class.
But counting on a championship run with a roster thin on experience is just delusional. Just take Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, for example; both of them have hit the ground running since they arrived. They’ve never rushed for less than 752 yards or six touchdowns in a season, and that’s no small feat. Even their last year’s performance was over 1,000 rushing yards each, 20 rushing touchdowns, and seven receiving touchdowns, demonstrating their ability to carry the offense, a level of talent incredibly difficult to replicate.
Well, the misery doesn’t just stop at that as Dabo Swinney’s program gets a significant hit on the recruiting front.
Major blow for Dabo Swinney’s recruiting hopes
Clemson football’s offseason hit a snag as coach Dabo Swinney and his staff faced recruiting setbacks. The loss of long-time, in-state four-star running back commit Marquise Henderson was a surprising blow. But that was just the start of a tough stretch; Clemson also missed out on four-star cornerback Danny Odem, who chose Nebraska.
Now, it wasn’t like Dabo Swinney’s program didn’t make an impact on Odem. Their culture did leave a mark on him. “The culture (stands out), just how Clemson grinds,” Odem said. “Coach Dabo really just built it up, brick by brick, step by step. I like how they run their organization. Like Clemson only offers certain guys that fit them.” But despite the surge, it came down to the Huskers. Hold on to your horses, as the worst is yet to come.
Clemson’s 2026 recruiting class suffered a significant setback when top running back target Jae Lamar decommitted. Even after a definite Clemson visit, Lamar committed to Georgia, providing the Bulldogs with an exceptional offensive talent. Lamar’s decision is a blow to Dabo Swinney’s staff, who heavily pursued him. “It felt more different than any program I have been to,” Lamar said. “I mean, they [Clemson] just stand out in everything they do.” But despite that, they couldn’t grab Lamar’s commitment.
Lamar, a junior with 11 touchdowns and a 7.9 yards-per-carry average, is ranked 107th overall and eighth among running backs nationally. He’s also Georgia’s 12th-best prospect. His commitment to Georgia intensifies Clemson’s need to find a top running back before the recruiting cycle ends, especially since their 2026 class lacks a running back commit.
This leaves Coach Swinney scrambling. With Carsyn Baker (Florida) and Javian Mallory (Miami) no longer being the options, Clemson urgently needs to broaden its search. While promising talent like Gideon Davidson remains, the recent setbacks highlight the critical need for reinforcements. Now, let’s wait and see if Swinney can turn things around for the Tigers or not.
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