Joel Klatt hasn’t been shy about his belief in Clemson this offseason, but now the FOX Sports lead college football analyst is making it official.
Klatt rolled out his College Football Playoff projections this week, and he’s calling for the Tigers to win the 2025 national championship. In his bracket, Clemson earns the No. 3 seed and takes down Oregon in the quarterfinal before meeting Texas in the semifinal. That run would lead to a title matchup against Ohio State in Miami Gardens, a high-stakes opportunity for the Tigers to reverse the script after falling to the Buckeyes in the 2020 CFP semifinal.
Klatt has consistently pointed to Clemson’s roster as the reason for his confidence. Senior quarterback Cade Klubnik, who piled up 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns last season, gives the Tigers the type of playmaker who can win games at the highest level. On defense, he highlighted edge rusher T.J. Parker and defensive tackle Peter Woods, both viewed as cornerstones of what could be one of the most disruptive units in the country.
For Klatt, it’s not just about individual stars. He argues that Dabo Swinney’s track record proves Clemson remains built to compete for championships. Swinney has guided the Tigers to 13 double-digit win seasons in the last 14 years, with two of those ending in national titles behind Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson. Adding another with Klubnik and a retooled defense, Klatt says, would show Swinney can evolve and win in the modern game, even as critics have questioned his approach to NIL and the transfer portal.
That kind of resurgence, Klatt believes, would be reminiscent of Nick Saban’s ability to keep Alabama at the top of the sport by reinventing his program multiple times over a decade-long stretch. If Clemson lifts the trophy this January, Swinney would join Saban as one of the…
Source link : https://clemsonwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/clemson/football/2025/08/18/clemson-football-joel-klatt-ohio-state-national-championship/85718221007/
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Publish date : 2025-08-19 01:45:00
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