The start to Clemson’s 2025 season has been disappointing. The Tigers are 1-3 overall, 0-2 in the ACC, and have not been able to get any momentum going in the first four weeks. Luckily, they get a bye this week.
This will give everyone in the building a chance to take a step back and evaluate the first quarter of the season. They get extra time to see where things went wrong and how best to fix it all. The season obviously is not going to turn out how Clemson planned. But, with the right approach to the bye week, the Tigers can clean things up and finish the season much stronger than it began.
Clemson Bye Week
Finding the Pulse
The first thing Dabo Swinney and his staff need to do is find the pulse of this team. They need to figure out where everyone’s heads and hearts are at right now. One thing that will turn this season more sour than it already is is that people are completely giving up and checking out with it still so early on. Those are the guys the program doesn’t need right now.
Figuring out who has the mental toughness to fight through adversity and make something out of the season is important. By the way things looked against Syracuse, some players seemed to have given up.
It is challenging when the team goes from a national championship favorite to likely out of playoff contention in the first four weeks. Those in the program can’t blame anyone but themselves for the abysmal start to the year. Those who decide to take accountability and use the start as fuel to be better over the next eight weeks will make some kind of success out of this season. Clemson still has something to fight for, even if it isn’t a national championship.
Digging into the Depth
Another task the Clemson coaching staff needs to take seriously this week is finding out how to work in more of the Tigers’ depth. It’s time for Clemson to dig deeper into its depth and get more guys on the field.
We are not going to advocate for Swinney to sit Cade Klubnik in favor of Christopher Vizzina right now. The young backup quarterback should take some reps at some point, though, to prepare for next season. We will make a case for guys like transfer wide receiver Tristan Smith, though.
Smith made his first career reception in the FBS last weekend, four weeks into the year. Why someone with the frame and skill set of Smith was brought in just to play special teams is mind-boggling. Smith obviously has something he can provide the struggling Clemson passing game. Yet, he is rarely on the field during offensive possessions. Based on what was said about him throughout the spring and summer, he needs to be utilized much more.
The same can be said about other names that repeatedly came up in the offseason, but have not been heard from. Transfer linebacker Jeremiah Alexander was reported to be the hardest worker in the building, but he has received limited snaps on defense. Young players like Amare Adams and Gideon Davidson have been on the field sparingly, but may need more time over the next eight games.
It’s understood that Clemson has lots of returning talent that are key pieces of this team. Many of those returners are not performing up to the standard, though. Just before the season started, Swinney claimed he likes the amount of depth his team has this year. There is no better time than now to dig into that depth and give more guys opportunities to contribute.
Evaluating the Game Plan
The last thing this Tigers staff needs to do over the bye week is re-evaluate what they’re doing scheme-wise. It’s clear that the way both the offense and defense planned to attack opponents is not working.
Garrett Riley wants to throw the ball around and stretch the field. The strongest part of the offense has been the run game, though. Tom Allen wanted to play more man coverage and get after the quarterback with a mix of pressures. Clemson just doesn’t have enough defensive backs good enough in one-on-one coverage to play it successfully.
The game plan on both sides has to change. Both coordinators now have a better idea of what their guys are actually best at and what the weak spots are. So, they need to adjust what they like to do to what the players actually can do. That is how they will put the Tigers in the best position to win moving forward.
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