A year can change a lot in college football, and Clemson’s meeting with LSU to open the 2025 season is a perfect reminder of that. Just 359 days before the teams are set to face off again, the matchup in Death Valley looked like a showcase of contenders and Heisman hopefuls. Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier were supposed to headline it all.
Instead, it turned into a grind between two seven-win teams. The offenses never really caught fire, the game finished with only 27 combined points, and LSU left with a 17-10 win on a forgettable night.
Now the two brands are heading back into the spotlight, with Clemson traveling to Louisiana in less than two weeks to finish the home-and-home series and open the 2026 season.
LSU will look different when that one kicks off. The Tigers are bringing back nine starters, but they’ve also added 40-plus new players for new head coach Lane Kiffin, who was still at Ole Miss when Brian Kelly beat Clemson on its own field last August.
Kiffin also brought Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt to Baton Rouge after Leavitt accounted for 44 total scores over the last two years. Caden Durham, LSU’s leading rusher in the opener last season, gets another shot at a Clemson defense that has far more question marks than it did a year ago.
Trey'Dez Green is back, too, after catching a touchdown with Avieon Terrell draped all over him last August and finishing the season with six more.
Clemson’s side has changed plenty as well, especially on defense. Tom Allen has gone heavy into the portal as he tries to steady that unit in Year 2.
On offense, Dabo Swinney is counting on a boost from new-old coordinator Chad Morris, who arrives with a familiar challenge. It was 15 years ago when Morris first took on that role, and that same season was the last time Clemson opened the year unranked in the AP poll.
LSU, meanwhile, enters at No. 11.
Before the rematch arrives, it’s worth going back to the first meeting: what went wrong then, and what has Clemson to do now to land the kind of win that would mean plenty this time around?
In Other News...
Clemson Just Got A Bigger Vic Burley Question Before LSU
Vic Burleys status has become a notable subplot for Clemson heading into the LSU matchup, with the senior defensive tackle now dealing with the fallout from an offseason arrest and a court case that has already triggered consequences inside the program. Burley pleaded guilty to public disorderly conduct and was granted a conditional discharge that requires him to complete several conditions over the next six months, while coach Dabo Swinney suspended him indefinitely from the football team after the arrest.
For a Clemson defense that could use veteran depth up front, the uncertainty around Burley adds another layer to the pregame picture. Police reported that he was found impaired and asleep behind the wheel, and while the legal process has taken one step forward, his football future remains unresolved as the Tigers prepare for a high-profile opener. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Faces A Massive Recruiting Battle For Elite 2028 Linebacker
Clemson is once again in the thick of a high-level recruiting fight, this time for one of the most sought-after linebackers in the 2028 class. Jay Schell has trimmed a massive field of nearly 50 scholarship offers down to Clemson and Oklahoma, a sign of just how far the Tigers have already come with a prospect who brings both elite upside and national attention.
The pull toward Clemson is obvious because of Schells family ties to the program, but Oklahoma has stayed firmly in the mix by making a strong impression with its coaching staff and recent defensive success. His choice is expected to come after upcoming game day visits this fall, which should give both staffs one more chance to make their case before the decision turns from recruiting battle to reality. [Read more 🡒]
Why Khalil Barnes' Clemson Rise Suddenly Came Apart
Khalil Barnes arrived at Clemson with the kind of momentum that usually plants a player firmly in the Tigers future plans. He earned Freshman All-American honors early in his Clemson run, and for a while it looked like the safety had settled into a promising career in orange after a winding recruitment that included a commitment to Wake Forest before he landed with the Tigers.
But the path changed quickly enough that Barnes was off to Georgia in January, leaving Clemson to sort through what went wrong after a 2025 downturn. Kirby Smart has already pointed to his own staffs past recruiting misses while expressing confidence Barnes can find a role in Athens, and Dabo Swinney confirmed Clemson wanted to keep him in the fold, which only underscores how abruptly a once-promising rise came apart. [Read more 🡒]