Clemson does not have the luxury of easing into the season after what happened at LSU. Saturday night against Georgia Southern is supposed to look a lot different, and for Dabo Swinney’s team, the pressure is on the players who are supposed to set the standard.
The Tigers are a 20.5-point favorite at home, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and the line has stayed right where it opened. Georgia Southern may not be a pushover, but Clemson is still the more talented team. If the Tigers don’t play like it, the next two weeks could get uncomfortable fast with North Carolina coming to town.
For Clemson to get back on track, these five players need to look like the guys this team can build around.
Sammy Brown has to be the one the defense follows
Sammy Brown left the LSU loss with 10 tackles, tied with safeties Corey Myrick and Jerome Carter III for the team lead, but his reaction said plenty about where Clemson’s head was after the blowout. Brown called the performance "embarrassing as a man".
That kind of frustration is useful only if it turns into leadership now. Brown may be the most talented defender on the roster, and he looks like a likely top-40 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. He chose Clemson over plenty of other options out of high school, and whether he’s second-guessing that now or not, this is the moment to steady everybody else.
If Clemson is going to reset its season, Brown needs to be the center of it on defense.
Brown was understandably dejected following Clemson's outing against LSU. Brown called the performance "embarrassing as a man."
His message to Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds: you can't let this defeat you or define you, you need to let it develop you. pic.twitter.com/JzYrftkRIf
- Chase Justice WYFF News 4 (@ChaseJusticeTV) September 6, 2026
Will Heldt needs to start looking like a real pass-rushing problem
Will Heldt was one of Clemson’s three representatives at ACC Media Days, and like Brown, he has the kind of profile that could put him in the first round. But profile only goes so far. Against LSU, Clemson’s defense never recorded a sack, and Heldt finished with four tackles and one tackle for loss.
This is the kind of matchup where the edge rush has to show up. Georgia Southern gives Clemson more chances to get after the quarterback, and Heldt doesn’t need a stat explosion so much as a disruptive game that helps the rest of the front breathe. How the defensive line responds after last week’s beatdown matters, and Heldt should be right in the middle of that response.
He and Brown are the two players Clemson needs setting the tone on the front seven.
Brayden Jacobs has to clean up the offensive line mess
The offensive line was one of the biggest shocks of Clemson’s loss at LSU. What was supposed to be one of the Tigers’ better fronts in years looked scattered, confused and overwhelmed. Basic blocking looked like a problem, and the clearest example was Brayden Jacobs’ missed block on Whit Weeks.
That was the kind of play that made Clemson’s line look no better than Easton Ware, who was forced into action at right tackle. That can’t happen again if this group wants to regain any sense of control. The good news is Georgia Southern is not facing the same kind of defense Clemson saw in Baton Rouge.
Jacobs and the rest of the line need to use this game to start building some cohesion before ACC play gets here. Otherwise, Clemson could be carrying a much bigger problem than one ugly opener.
Christopher Vizzina has to show he’s still the guy
It may still be a little early to call it a quarterback controversy, but Christopher Vizzina did not help himself at LSU. He won the job out of fall camp because of his poise and leadership, then looked shaky when the lights came on. He finished 10-of-16 for 83 yards with an interception and never really found a rhythm.
Against Georgia Southern, he doesn’t need to do anything flashy. He just needs to look like a quarterback who can run a respectable offense and make the right throws on time. If he can’t separate himself from Tait Reynolds in a game like this, the conversation only gets louder.
This is about proving he can steady the offense, not reinvent it.
Bryant Wesco Jr. needs to become the obvious answer in the passing game
Clemson’s receiving group was quiet in the LSU loss, even if the box score shows nine different players caught a pass. Nobody had more than four receptions or 31 yards, and the Tigers managed just 105 passing yards overall. Bryant Wesco Jr. finished with two catches for 29 yards, while TJ Moore led the team with four grabs for 31 yards.
Wesco is the one people around the NFL seem to get most excited about, and Clemson needs that talent to show up now. He had a first-half catch from Vizzina that looked like something the offense could grow from. That has to become the norm, not the exception.
If Wesco isn’t putting up something close to five catches and 100 yards, Clemson’s passing game could be heading into dangerous territory. The receiving corps is supposed to be one of the team’s best units, and Wesco needs to be the outlet outside the numbers that makes it work.
In Other News...
Clemson Suddenly Has A Defensive Line Problem It Cant Ignore
Clemsons front was put under a harsh spotlight in its loss to LSU, and afterward Dabo Swinney and defensive tackles coach Nick Eason both accepted responsibility for how the unit played. The Tigers are already dealing with a thin rotation up front, and the situation got worse when starter Markus Strong went down with a season-ending injury, forcing Clemson to lean even harder on the rest of the group as the season settles into a pivotal stretch.
One of the more notable fixes has been the increased use of former offensive lineman Dietrick Pennington, who has been getting more defensive snaps as Clemson searches for answers in the middle. Help could still be on the way, though, with Vic Burley eligible to return after his suspension and Kourtney Kelly working his way back from a knee injury, giving the Tigers at least a chance to restore some depth before the issue becomes even harder to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Kelly Had One Tough LSU Admission During Clemson Week 1
Brian Kelly has settled into his new role with CBS Sports, but the former LSU coach sounded like someone still adjusting to life away from the sideline during Clemson week 1. In a Sirius XM interview, Kelly opened up about how strange it has been to watch college football from a different vantage point after spending decades in the game, a reminder that the weekly grind does not disappear just because the headset is gone.
Now part of the CBS crew covering Mountain West Conference games in 2026, Kelly also had a positive read on LSUs showing in its recent game against Clemson. His perspective carried extra weight coming from someone who spent three seasons leading the Tigers, even if the larger question around how comfortable he is in this post-coaching chapter is still very much unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons 2027 Opener Just Raised A Bigger ACC Schedule Issue
Clemsons 2027 opener is already doing something unusual before a snap is played. The Tigers will host Georgia State on Aug. 28, 2027, the earliest game in program history, after the matchup was shifted from later in the fall to fit the NCAAs new 14-week regular-season structure that begins next season. It is the kind of scheduling tweak that sounds minor on the surface but says plenty about how quickly the calendar is changing around college football.
For Clemson, the bigger issue may be what this kind of adjustment signals for the ACC schedule ahead. The leagues new model is still taking shape, and the Tigers are set to navigate a format that looks different from what fans have been used to seeing. The opener is now locked in, but the broader question is how this early start fits into a conference slate that could leave Clemson with more to manage than just a strange August date. [Read more 🡒]