Clemson finished a 10-win season with an ACC Championship and berth in the college football playoffs. Players are announcing their plans for next season as the college football season comes to a close. As the Tigers now look towards 2025 much of the top talent is looking to run it back.
In this age of college football impact players year in and year out will let the public know what their plans are. With the rampant use of the transfer portal, NIL, and soon revenue sharing, teams are losing some of their best talent. Dabo Swinney and Clemson usually have one of the highest retention rates of any FBS program. Swinney looks to continue this trend to begin the offseason.
Who’s Leaving
Clemson does not have much talent leaving, but there are a few impactful players who will not be back. Most of the players making their way out are veterans attempting to make the move to the NFL. Leading that group is first-team All-ACC and Third-Team All-American selection Barrett Carter.
Joining Carter are his two Third-Team All-ACC teammates Jake Briningstool and Phil Mafah. Veteran safety RJ Mickens will also take his shot at the NFL dream along with offensive linemen Marcus Tate and Blake Miller.
When it comes to players leaving Swinney’s program to transfer, there are not many. Only five Tigers have entered the portal with just one of those players having a significant role. That one transfer is Troy Stellato who has been a steady hand at receiver for Clemson when he’s been healthy. As the 2024 season went on though, Stellato’s role became smaller as younger receivers emerged.
Although, some great players are moving on from the Tigers. The talent remaining in Death Valley more than makes up for it though.
Who’s Staying
On Monday, December 30th Cade Klubnik officially announced he will be back at Clemson. This was huge news as Klubnik will enter 2025 as one of the top quarterbacks in the country. He will also possibly be an early-season Heisman candidate. His growth from year one as the starter to year two has been amazing to watch. Tiger fans should be excited he chose to continue his development under Swinney and Garrett Riley. To make it better, Klubnik will also be getting all his top receivers back.
Wide receiver Antonio Williams announced Friday the same week, January 3rd, that he is returning to Clemson for his senior season. Williams was the top receiver for the Tigers in 2024 with 75 catches for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns. Next to him will be the two young studs TJ Moore and freshman All-American Bryant Wesco Jr. Both the young wideouts had over 600 yards receiving and five touchdown catches in their freshman season. The wide receiver room will be stacked with talent next season. Especially once Tyler Brown makes his return from injury as well.
Much of the top talent on the Tiger defense will be returning too. Leading tackler Wade Woodaz has announced he will be back with the Tigers in 2025. Joining the First-Team All-ACC linebacker is ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Sammy Brown. Both linebackers had 80+ tackles and 10+ tackles for loss on the season. This will keep the front seven mostly intact with defensive linemen Peter Woods and Second-Team All-ACC selection TJ Parker both staying in Death Valley. On the back end lockdown corners, Avieon Terrell and Ashton Hampton are expected to be back as well as playmaking safety Khalil Barnes.
With all the talent returning the Tigers are expected to once again be at the top of the ACC. Not only that though, but many are projecting the Tigers to be a top 10 team entering 2025.
Who’s Coming
Tigers fans should not only be excited about who is returning but also who will be entering the program. One thing many fans are happy to see is Swinney’s use of the transfer portal early in the offseason. Clemson has already received two major transfer portal commitments. One on each side of the ball. They are wide receiver Tristian Smith out of Southeastern Missouri and edge player Will Heldt out of Purdue. Both are expected to raise the Tigers’ level of performance immediately. Especially Heldt who was one of the top players in the portal this cycle.
Joining this small class of transfers is a talented freshman class. Clemson’s 2025 recruiting class includes one five-star and four four-star commits. Defensive lineman Amare Adams is the lone five-star in the class. Adams can potentially get some game reps early as a depth piece along with four-star edge Ari Watford.
Four-star running back Gideon Davidson also has the potential to play early on with the position being thin for the Tigers. The four-star offensive tackles Brayden Jacobs and Easton Ware might have the hardest time getting on the field right away. Still, though, they have the talent to compete for one of the top two spots on the depth chart.
The talent pool will be deep for Swinney once again in 2025. The level of execution must match if the Tigers want to live up to the expectations.
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