Last season Clemson football finished 10-4, earning an ACC crown and losing in the first round of the College Football Playoff. For exactly 21 Power 4 schools, this would be a historic, record breaking season (two schools have failed to win 10 games in their existence, 19 have failed to win their conference). For the Tigers, this is one of the least successful seasons of Dabo’s tenure. While an ACC crown is an admirable achievement, it’s simply a stepping stone towards Clemson’s annual aspirations. Dabo’s experienced about as many ten win seasons as he has birthdays since joining the team, failing to eclipse the mark in only three seasons.
While the season ended in heartbreaking fashion, Clemson has a lot to look forward to in 2025. A mix of returning blue chip talent and young rising stars creates a team as talented as any other in the country. Let’s take a look at some of these impact players, and what they are capable of heading into next season:
Cade Klubnik
4th year (2 year starter)
659/1040, 7180 yards, 57:18 TD-INT (28 starts)
784 yards rushing, 13 touchdowns
Taj Boyd, Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence, Cade Klubnik. This is the Mt. Rushmore of Clemson quarterbacks under Dabo Swinney, and Cade’s resume absolutely deserves to be among these iconic Clemson signal callers. Cade rebounded from a subpar sophomore campaign with one of the most impressive seasons in the country in 2024. Klubnik earned second team All-ACC honors, finishing top 20 nationally in passing touchdowns and passing yards per game. Cade took a massive step forward in terms of his processing, pocket presence, and accuracy. He established himself as a true dual threat quarterback, with over 450 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground.
This season, Klubnik is 4th in Heisman odds (according to Vegas Insider) and is just under 4000 yards shy of surpassing Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence in career passing yards. While lofty, both of these accolades are obtainable for Cade. Klubnik is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and it’ll be exciting to see him lead this Tigers team in the fall.
Additional Notes
- Tied Taj Boyd and Trevor Lawrence for second most passing touchdowns (36) in a single season in 2024
- Tied Deshaun Watson for the longest streak of at least 200 passing yards (13)
- 3rd most completions in Clemson history, 5th most passing yards and 4th most passing touchdowns
- All ACC academic team in 2024
Peter Woods
Junior (2 year starter)
59 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks (12 starts)
Heading into his third season, Peter Woods projects to be one of the premier defensive lineman in the NFL. Woods finished last season with 8.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks in limited play, missing a quarter of the season with a leg injury. Due to the nature of his position, Woods’ output is not as identifiable on the stat sheet as some of his teammates alongside the defensive line. While on the interior Woods soaked up blockers, generating double teams to create opportunities for others alongside the defense. Heading into this season, Woods has lost a lot of weight, which should go a long way towards a dominant junior year; “this offseason, I’ve made some changes, and I’m feeling better than ever.”
Additional Notes
- 2023 freshman All American
- Split time between DT and defensive end in 2024
- Won four straight state titles at Alabama in HS
Avieon Terrell
Junior (2 year starter)
82 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 19 pass breakups, 3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and a sack (19 starts)
In the summer of 2014, Avieon Terrell attended Dabo Swinney’s Youth Football camp for the first time, and instantly fell in love with the Tigers. Two years later, Aviens older brother AJ committed to Clemson, and went on to be one of the most successful cornerback careers of this decade. AJ’s career trajectory is about as lucrative as one can have; top 100 prospect, first Team All-ACC, first round draft pick, NFL All-Pro. When asked if he sees his younger brother on a similar path, Terrell’s answer raises eyebrows: “I feel like he was ahead of me at every phase of football at every age. Nothing he does surprises me.”
With blazing speed, elite instincts, and beautiful fluidity, Aveion is projected to join his brother as a first round draft pick. PFF ranked Terrell as the fourth returning corner heading into this season, giving him a 90.7 run defense grade. His 14 forced incompletions led all power four corners last season. When targeting Terrell, collegiate quarterback’s earned a 42.8 qbr, making Aveion one of the most consistent lockdown corners in the nation.
Additional Notes
- Second team All-ACC in 2024
- First Clemson player under Dabo Swinney to register multiple interceptions, fumbles forced and fumble recoveries in a season
- 13 pass breakups were the most by a Clemson player since 2014, tied for most from a sophomore in school history
- 2023 All-ACC academic team
- Won a State Championship in track, winning the 4×100
- Wore number 8 in high school, just like his older brother
