Clemson football‘s improbable 2024 season has come to an end, but coach Dabo Swinney is optimistic about the future.
The No. 5 seed Longhorns (12-2) defeated the No. 12 seed Tigers 38-24 in the first round of the CFP on Saturday in Austin, Texas, at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
Despite the early exit, Clemson (10-4) won the ACC championship for the first time in two years and made the CFP for the first time since 2020. The Tigers plan on being CFP contenders next season.
“Again, it’s always sad when it ends, even when it ends great,” Swinney said. “We’ve got a lot of guys coming back. We’ve got a really good football team.”
Clemson will lose key starters to expiring eligibility, including running back Phil Mafah, tight end Jake Briningstool, left guard Marcus Tate, safety R.J. Mickens, linebacker Barrett Carter and defensive tackle Payton Page.
Yet, Swinney loves the starters he presumes will return, including quarterback Cade Klubnik, wide receiver Antonio Williams, linebacker Wade Woodaz, defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart and right tackle Blake Miller.
Swinney adores many of his underclassman players who are returning and gained crucial experience, like linebacker Sammy Brown, wide receivers Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore, defensive linemen T.J. Parker and Peter Woods and cornerbacks Ashton Hampton and Avieon Terrell.
The Tigers are also adding at least two transfers, Swinney’s first time nabbing more than one player in a cycle in the portal era, and 15 signees in its 2025 recruiting class, which ranks 27th in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Here are two key questions Clemson faces as it enters the offseason.
Will key Clemson football’s players actually return for another season?
Klubnik had an impressive season, recording 308 completions, the third most in Clemson history, and 36 touchdown passes, tying Tajh Boyd and Trevor Lawrence for the second-most in program history.
Klubnik, a junior, hasn’t declared his intentions yet.
“Just trying to deal with the emotions of (Saturday) and just trying to deal with (that),” Klubnik said. “I’ve got to play my last football game with a lot of these guys. I’m not really thinking about me right now.”
Swinney assumes Miller, who started every game during his three-year Clemson career, will return, but he is receiving NFL draft buzz for his consistent play this season. Williams, a third-year player, set a single-season career high in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and could leverage that to a draft selection. Capehart, a fifth-year player, can return too.
Will Dabo Swinney make defensive staff changes?
For Clemson to be national championship contenders, it must become a dominant defense again like it was during its CFP glory days from 2015 through 2020. Entering Saturday, it allowed 150.4 rushing yards per game (73rd in FBS), a decline from last year’s 114.6 yards rushing allowed (24th).
Texas rushed for a season-high 292 yards against the Tigers. It was the most rushing yards Clemson has allowed in a game this season. Clemson’s run defense issues was a theme all season, giving up over 200 yards rushing in a game five times and over six yards a carry in each of its four losses.
MORE: How Cade Klubnik’s ‘incredible’ game vs Texas in CFP loss gives Clemson football hope for 2025
Swinney was asked after the loss about potential defensive staff changes, but he brushed it off. He did acknowledge the Tigers must improve if they want to be a national championship contender.
“We’ve got to improve everywhere if we want to get to the top,” Swinney said. “Good enough to get to the playoff, good enough to win the league, not good enough to win it all.”
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football: Why Swinney believes Tigers can be better in 2025
