As we countdown to kickoff in September, we’re doing a team-by-team opponent preview. Today, we're previewing Syracuse's matchup with Clemson on Sept. 30 with our friend Grayson Mann over at Tiger Illustrated.

Offense: Cade Klubnik.

Will Shipley was Clemson’s best offensive player during the 2022 season, but the Tiger’s playoff hopes go as far as Cade Klubnik can take them. The last two seasons with former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei fell short of expectations, with the Tigers failing to reach the playoff with him as the face of the offense. He moved on from the program in December, hoping to have a fresh start with Oregon State. As for Klubnik, his presence was felt throughout the season, with the freshman coming in relief of Uiagalelei on multiple occasions. His most memorable outing was in the ACC Championship, where Klubnik went 20-24 for 279 yards and one touchdown and rushing for 30 yards and a score, which was enough to receive MVP honors for his performance.

Despite being a part of a quarterback carousel that dominated the headlines, Klubnik was a spark plug to an offense that sometimes lacked variety under center. His ability to use his legs and make accurate throws outside the pocket paired with a new-look offense could be the difference maker for a postseason push this fall.

Defense: Xavier Thomas

The Clemson defense in 2023 will have more than enough to find success, but sixth-year defensive end Xavier Thomas could put this group over the top.

Thomas’ career at Clemson has seen plenty of highs and lows, with multiple All-ACC selections paired with two seasons that sidelined him for several games. In 2020, Thomas missed several games due to complications from COVID-19 and strep throat. In 2022, he was limited to three games following a foot injury he suffered during fall camp. Despite limitations in both seasons, he found ways to produce when Thomas was on the field. In 2020, he recorded 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. In 2022, Thomas made his season debut on the road against Boston College, and despite only playing six snaps, he made them count. He posted two sacks, a forced fumble, and a quarterback hit, enough to earn ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week.

With defensive lineman Myles Murphy and K.J. Henry now in the NFL, Thomas’ production will be relied upon more than ever. Justin Mascoll and Thomas will headline this position group, along with multiple freshmen such as Tommarion Parker, Vic Burley, and Stephiylan Green. If Thomas can stay healthy, his production could take Wesley Goodwin’s defense to new heights.

Offense: Jake Briningstool

If there’s any offensive piece that Garrett Riley is excited to use, Jake Briningstool is near the top of that list.

“He’s very athletic. He’s got a lot of range to him, and then he can really run. This is a guy that can really run, so he’s going to present some matchup problems in one-on-one situations. There’s no question about it.”

Briningstool finished the 2022 season with 25 receptions for 285 yards and four touchdowns. In a two-game stretch against Wake Forest and N.C. State, he recorded ten catches and a touchdown giving the impression that he would be a focal part of the offense moving forward. Briningstool would be unable to find that magic and only grab seven passes in the final seven-game of the regular season.

Now the feature tight end for the Clemson offense combined with the arrival of Garrett Riley, Briningstool could have a breakout season in 2023.

Defense: Nate Wiggins

In a season where Nate Wiggins was a First-Team All-ACC selection, the sophomore’s journey to get there did not start promising.

In an outing against Wake Forest, the Tigers came into it with a shorthanded secondary. Wiggins would take the lead against a Sam Hartman offense that threw six touchdowns that day, targeting him most of the afternoon. Despite this, Wiggins would come up with the game-winning deflection that sparked a season-long turnaround. Wiggins would record 22 tackles (2.0 for loss), a team-high 12 pass breakups, a blocked field goal, and a 98-yard pick-six.

Wiggins improved upon his 2022 campaign in the spring game and displayed the potential to be a lockdown corner for the Tigers. During Clemson's spring game, Wiggins was able to lock down his side of the field and recorded a pass deflection that led to an Andrew Makuba pick-six.

If Wiggins can build off a mostly successful 2022 campaign, there’s no doubt he will be a top contributor to a talented Clemson defense.

Back to the Playoff: It is much easier said than done, but it would be a powerful statement from Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers to make the playoff before the 12-team format takes over. The Tigers have failed to make the playoff in back-to-back seasons for the first time in the CFP era after six straight appearances from 2015-2020.

Making the playoff in 2024 moving forward will still be considered a significant achievement but might carry less weight in the long run. An appearance in the last season of the four-team playoff would restore confidence in a program that’s failed to meet expectations for the previous two years.

A feature, not a bug: It is no secret that the Tigers have had underwhelming results for two straight seasons.

During a six-season stretch from 2015 to 2020, the Tigers lost just seven times, with four coming in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers lost six times in the following two seasons, with five coming in regular season play and one in the Orange Bowl against Tennessee.

This season will answer an important question regarding the program's state; were these last two seasons a bug or a feature? Swinney proactively responded to that question in the offseason with a decision to fire the first-year offensive coordinator to bring in Garrett Riley to “raise the standard of excellence established at Clemson.”

The move to hire Riley has given the fanbase excitement reminiscent of that dominant six-year run, with the impending results on the field having the final say in where this program stands in the conversation of title contenders.

Slow Decline: The past two years indicate this is a program on the decline. As mentioned above, the Tigers have lost six games in two seasons, one short of the seven losses they endured from 2015-2020. In 2021, the Tigers lost a season opener off of a Uiagalelei pick-six against eventual national champion Georgia. They would also lose two road games to NC State and Pittsburgh, fall out of the top 25, and miss out on the ACC championship for the first time since 2014.

2022 would see slight growth, yet arguably worse losses. Clemson would suffer two double-digit losses against unranked Notre Dame on the road and an Orange Bowl loss to Tennessee. Nothing was more of a stain on Clemson’s 2022 resume than a home loss to rival South Carolina. Not only did it snap a seven-game win streak over the Gamecocks, but it also signaled a potential change of a dominant trend that headlines the rivalry.

This program would have been headed for more dangerous waters, but change came quickly.

The move to fire Brandon Streeter for Garrett Riley signaled to the fan base that the last two seasons were unacceptable. The momentum that surrounded this move might already be paying off.

The Tigers have had an eventful summer after missing out on the top ten in recruiting rankings in 2023, finishing 15th. In the month of June, the Tigers landed five commitments. Highlighting that list are linebacker Sammy Brown and wideout Bryant Wesco. They also landed TJ Moore, Ricardo Jones, and Darien Mayo.

The Tigers may have taken a step back in the last two seasons, but moves have been made to prevent this trend from sticking.

As for as the transfer portal goes, Clemson has opted for the road less traveled.

The Tigers lost ten players to the transfer portal while bringing in one addition to the roster. The most notable departures of that group include quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and safety Malcolm Greene.

DJ is the clear standout of this group, shouldering most of the criticism that went the Tigers' way for the previous two seasons. After a sophomore season where he threw more interceptions than touchdowns, Cade Klubnik’s arrival in 2022 created a quarterback controversy that stretched the entire season. Uiagalelei’s time at Clemson appeared to be over after he was benched in the ACC Championship and watched Klubnik win offensive MVP. Uiagalelei would enter the transfer portal in the coming days, heading to Corvallis to join the Oregon State Beavers.

Malcolm Greene, a rotational piece in Clemson’s secondary, chose to stay in the ACC and join Tony Elliot and the Virginia Cavaliers. Greene saw action in seven games for the Tigers, starting two of them.

The one transfer that committed to Clemson was former Arizona State quarterback Paul Tyson. Tyson will likely serve as an emergency quarterback behind Cade Klubnik and Christopher Vizzina.

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