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No team in college football brings back more experience than Clemson heading into the 2025 season. According to ESPN’s latest analysis, the Tigers return a nation-leading 86% of their offensive production and rank seventh on defense with 75% of their key contributors back.
Bill Connelly of ESPN highlighted Clemson’s standing among the most experienced teams in the country, pointing out that only two programs—Clemson and Arizona State—return at least 78% of their production. Historically, teams returning at least 70% of their production tend to improve in the following season 70% of the time, with an average jump of 7.1 points in efficiency ratings. If that trend holds, Clemson could be primed for a major step forward in 2025.
“The only current members of the 80% club, Dabo Swinney’s Tigers’ are awfully tantalizing at the moment,” Connelly wrote. “The defense returns 13 of 18 players with 200-plus snaps and adds a star pass rusher in Purdue’s Will Heldt.”
Offensively, the Tigers bring back eight starters, including quarterback Cade Klubnik and a talented group of receivers in Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr., and College Football Playoff standout T.J. Moore. Clemson should also get Tyler Brown back at full strength after injuries hampered his 2024 campaign.
Over the past decade, Clemson was a fixture at the top of the sport, ranking sixth or better in SP+ from 2015 to 2020. However, since 2021, the program has averaged an SP+ ranking of 18.5. With so much continuity on both sides of the ball, Connelly believes this has the potential to be Clemson’s most promising team in years.
“After ranking sixth or better in SP+ for six straight seasons from 2015 to 2020, Clemson has averaged a ranking of only 18.5 since,” Connelly noted. “This should be its highest-upside team in five years.”
With expectations rising and talent…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/clemson-ranks-no-1-espns-153719866.html
Author : Clemson Wire
Publish date : 2025-02-24 15:37:00
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