Where Clemson football ranks in this preseason AP Top 25 prediction

The 2023 season is slowly approaching, and we are excited about what should be another excellent season for Clemson football.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers have a roster filled with talent and a coaching staff with the experience to make a run at the college football playoff. Adding 2022 Broyles Award winner Garrett Riley as the new offensive coordinator was a winning move. It should help bring the Clemson offense back to form. 

As we all know, the opinions on this team heading into the 2023 season have varied considerably. This has become the norm for Swinney and the Tigers. 

FanSided recently their preseason AP Top 25 predictions for 2023, with Clemson making the top 10. Here is a look at their ranking and what writer Cody Williams had to say about the Tigers.

9. Clemson Tigers (2022 record: 11-3)

Even when everyone was writing Dabo Swinney and Clemson off amid perceived struggles, the Tigers still ended up with 11 wins last season. But those struggles sparked a necessary change for this program, one that could elevate them immensely moving forward.

The Tigers hired offensive coordinator Garrett Riley away from TCU to help spark the offense, now firmly in the hands of Cade Klubnik, who took over sporadically for now-Oregon State QB D.J. Uiagalelei a year ago. Will Shipley is still a weapon and, while the receivers still need to prove themselves, playing in Riley’s Air-Raid approach could take them to a new level.

As for the defense, it’s rinse-and-repeat as always for Clemson. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and the linebacker corps are lethal, the secondary seems primed to take a step forward, and the defensive front is loaded with elite talent and just as much depth. If the offense can take the expected step forward, rest assured the defense is set to do its job.

Rinse and repeat on the defense end is all too true; this season will come down to what the Tigers’ offense is capable of. The doubt Williams mentioned is still there, but it isn’t as bad.

Clemson thrives as the underdog, and they may be considered that once again in 2023 with Florida State as the new perceived darling of the ACC. The hype around them is all too real, with them ranking No.3 for Williams, much higher than I’d rank them.

2023 should be a fun one for the ACC.