Greg McElroy believes Clemson has 'all the makings of a national championship contender'

Clemson returned to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019 last season. They won the ACC Championship game and became the first three-loss team to make the CFP in playoff history.

Despite losing in the first round, Clemson is expected to carry that momentum in the fall and be an elite college football team in 2025. ESPN’s Greg McElroy appears to be a big believer in the Tigers, and expects more of the success they enjoyed last season to continue in 2025.

“I love Clemson this year. I think Clemson’s got all the makings of a national championship contender,” McElroy said. “A ton of veteran leadership that’s back. Guys that have played a lot of football for Dabo Swinney and young weapons that were good last year, who might take a significant step forward here in year number two.”

Notably, McElroy rated Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik as the top quarterback in the country in his recent preseason rankings. 2024 was Klubnik’s second season as the team’s starting quarterback, where he finished the season with over 3,600 passing yards and impressively, 36 touchdowns compared to six interceptions. His QBR (78.7) was ranked 12th-best in the country at the end of the season.

McElroy said that Klubnik did “an amazing job,” with the Tigers in 2024. Citing major improvements from the 2023 season, McElroy said he believes not only in his physical abilities, but also in his mental toughness.

“That’s a guy who I want on my team, for sure,” McElroy said. “The fact that he’s been through the grinder and has lived to tell the tale, came out the other end as a superstar, tells me a lot about what this young man is made of, and what he’s going to do this year.”

With Klubnik leading the charge, Vegas has predicted the Tigers’ 2025 win total at over/under 9.5 games. Clemson has won at least nine games per season 2010, Dabo Swinney’s second with the program.

Getting there may not be guaranteed, however. The Tigers have a fairly tough schedule this season. They’ll kick the season off against LSU at home, and will also round their season out at South Carolina. During ACC play they’ll take on SMU, who made the CFP last season as well, as well as interesting matchups against the likes of Louisville and Florida State. Notably, they will not play Miami during the regular season.