August is here, and for Clemson football, that means the talking season is basically over - unless there’s still something worth saying about it.
That something is this: 2026 shapes up as a major prove-it year for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers. The questions around whether Swinney can adapt to the sport’s new rules have followed him all offseason, and he’s been one of the coaches most willing to adjust. But if Clemson is going to answer the bigger questions, it’s going to need a few things to break its way.
Start with the run game.
Since the 2020 season, Clemson has only had two running backs crack 1,000 yards on the ground: Will Shipley in 2022 and Phil Mafah in 2024. That could change in 2026 with Morris back in the picture. In his first three seasons, Morris had a 1,000-yard rusher every year, whether it was Andre Ellington or Roderick McDowell.
Morris has made it clear the Tigers will need to lean on the ground game if they want the offense to work in 2026. It won’t matter much whether Christopher Vizzina or Tait Reynolds is under center if Clemson can’t run the ball, and that was part of the problem last season when Adam Randall wasn’t able to shake defenders.
The name to watch is second-year tailback Gideon Davidson. He ran for 260 yards, with most of that work coming in the latter half of the season. If Davidson is getting more than double-digit carries per game and Morris gets the rushing attack rolling, there’s a real path to Clemson finally producing another 1,000-yard back.
The caveat is the depth chart. Clemson has multiple backs in the room, including SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr. But if the Tigers want their best back on the field to keep the chains moving, Davidson looks like the likely choice.
If Clemson does rebound, there’s also a chance it produces an All-American type season from someone in the mix. The Tigers haven’t had that since Travis Etienne was a consensus first-team nod in 2020 as a kick returner, but the candidates are there.
Linebacker Sammy Brown already has first-team All-American buzz after earning a nod earlier this summer. Edge rusher Will Heldt could force his way into that conversation too if he builds on his junior year, especially if Clemson’s defense takes a step forward in its second season under Tom Allen.
There’s also upside with safety transfers Corey Myrick and Jerome Carter III.
On offense, Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore are former five-stars who could play their way into that kind of season, though they’ll have plenty of competition from players like Cam Coleman, Nick Marsh, Jeremiah Smith and Malachi Toney. If Clemson’s offensive line controls games in 2026, names like Brayden Jacobs could also push into the spotlight.
And if the Tigers really do turn things around, there will be one player who becomes the face of that climb - maybe even someone not on this list.
The early schedule could tell the story. Clemson’s first five games include LSU, Miami and Cal, along with Georgia Southern and North Carolina, and there’s been plenty of debate all summer about where the Tigers will stand after that stretch.
What if they make noise in most of those games?
Early-season upsets happen. Florida State wasn’t a bowl team in 2025, but it knocked off Alabama, a College Football Playoff team.
If Clemson comes out sharp, it has a shot against LSU, even if the Bayou Bengals are heavily favored. Maybe Swinney catches head coach Lane Kiffin off guard early and makes the most of it.
Miami is another big one. The Hurricanes were national title runners-up last season and added Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, so a lot will hinge on whether Allen’s defense can take the next step and limit what Mensah did last season.
Miami also tends to drop an ACC game every year. Syracuse beat the Hurricanes and helped send Clemson to the ACC Championship Game in 2024, and SMU knocked them out of Charlotte last season. With home-field advantage in Clemson’s corner, momentum could swing Swinney’s way in that matchup.
They’re hot takes, sure. But if Clemson really does flip the script in 2026 - which might be the hottest take of all - these are the kinds of things that could follow.
In Other News...
Clemsons New Offense Puts One Backfield Battle Front And Center
Clemsons ground game is getting a reset heading into the 2026 season, and the reshuffling starts in the backfield. After finishing near the bottom of the ACC in rushing offense last year, the Tigers have moved aggressively to change the look of the unit under new offensive coordinator Chad Morris, bringing in 11 transfers and adding SMUs Chris Johnson Jr. to a room that also includes returning sophomore Gideon Davidson and seniors Jay Haynes and Jarvis Greene.
C.J. Spiller has made it clear the competition is wide open as spring and summer work begin, with the running backs coach describing the room as starting over and everyone effectively trying to establish a new hierarchy. Davidson is among the players being pushed to take a bigger role, but Clemson still has multiple backs with something to prove, and the way that battle unfolds could go a long way toward telling whether the Tigers new offense finds the balance it needs. [Read more 🡒]
Clelin Ferrell Gets Another NFL Shot With Plenty Still To Prove
Clelin Ferrells NFL path has already taken him through a handful of stops since the Raiders made him the fourth overall pick in 2019, and the former Clemson standout is now trying to make the most of another chance with the Dolphins. After time with the 49ers, Commanders and Chargers, Ferrell arrives in Miami with seven seasons of experience, 184 tackles and 21 sacks, a rsum that says he has been around the league long enough to know how quickly opportunities can disappear.
For Ferrell, the appeal of this latest restart is as much about fit as it is about reputation. He is working under new head coach Jeff Hafley and talking about consistency as the key to turning his career back in the right direction, with a clear desire to keep proving doubters wrong. The talent has never been the question for a player taken that high in the draft, but the next stretch will go a long way toward showing whether this Dolphins stop can become more than just another checkpoint. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Preseason Ranking Says Everything About Expectations Right Now
The preseason coaches poll offered a blunt snapshot of where Clemson stands heading into 2026, and it is not the kind of September-building optimism Tigers fans have gotten used to under Dabo Swinney. Clemson landed at No. 23 in the USA Today Sports rankings, a mark that reflects how far expectations have slipped after a disappointing 2025 season and the programs lowest preseason spot under Swinney since 2011.
South Carolina is in a similarly uneasy place, though the Gamecocks did at least receive votes after finishing 4-8 last season under Shane Beamer. They are tied for No. 30 in the unofficial count with 50 voting points, a reminder that both sides of the border are trying to reset rather than simply reload, and neither enters the fall with the kind of national standing either program is used to carrying. [Read more 🡒]