The beginnings of ‘Talking season’ are upon us. Although packaged as “post-spring,” Andy Staples of On3 Sports has released an early college football top 25 rankings, and the Clemson Tigers come in at No. 3.
Clemson No. 3 in post-spring top 25
While last season saw many ups and downs, the Tigers found a way to win the ACC Championship and make the College Football Playoffs. Thankfully, the vast majority of the production from 2024 will return in 2025.
In an era where retention is at an all-time low, Clemson has the upper hand across the sport, thanks partly to Dabo Swinney’s emphasis on building culture and hesitancy to buy into NIL and the transfer portal. After another offseason in the weight room and development over the summer, they’ll be primed to make another run for the national championship.
Ahead of the Tigers are CFP semifinalists, the Texas Longhorns, ranked No. 1. While they’ll be without their starting quarterback in 2025, Arch Manning has waited patiently behind Quinn Ewers for the opportunity. As a highly regarded recruit with a family legacy to uphold, Manning is sure to enter the 2025 season swinging.
However, the surprise is Notre Dame at No. 2. While the Fighting Irish return a significant amount of their production on offense, they return less than 50 percent on defense. Notre Dame rode its defense to the national championship in 2024 and lost to Ohio State because it couldn’t keep up in a shootout on offense. Perhaps they’ll find suitable replacements in the transfer portal, but right now, they’re ranked No. 57, per 247Sports.
Post-spring college football top 25 via Andy Staples, On3 Sports
TexasNotre DameClemsonPenn StateOhio StateOregonAlabamaGeorgiaIllinoisFloridaTexas TechSouth CarolinaAuburnSMULSUArizona StateMichiganBYUOle MissMiamiTennesseeNebraskaIowa StateLouisvilleIowa
Source link : https://clemsonwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/clemson/football/2025/04/28/clemson-ranks-andy-staples-post-spring-top-25/83327758007/
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Publish date : 2025-04-28 17:04:00
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