After reeling from their College Football Playoff loss against the Texas Longhorns, the Clemson Tigers will be looking to make some statements in the 2025 regular season as well as the spring campaign.
ESPN recently released their Atlantic Coast Conference spring football previews, highlighting some key points of intrigue for the upcoming Tigers’ roster.
To kick off the excitement, Clemson was able to grab a big name from the transfer portal to solidify their defense.
Will Heldt will make his debut with the Tigers as an edge rusher; a position he dominated during his time with the Purdue Boilermakers. Even as a sophomore, Heldt’s career thus far is astonishing and exactly what Clemson needs on the line.
As a Boilermaker, Heldt recorded 68 total tackles, 11.0 tackles-for-loss, five total sacks and one fumble recovery.
Head coach Dabo Swinney will make good use of his first big pick out of the transfer portal, potentially elevating his team to a level beyond the 2024 roster.
Continuing on with the defensive side of things, the Tigers’ recent coaching change saw the release of Wes Goodwin in order to grab the former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen.
Allen will have ample opportunity to revitalize Clemson’s defensive line, working with names like T.J. Parker and Peter Woods. Allen’s efforts in the spring could make for a major positive impact once the 2025 campaign kicks off.
On the offensive end of things, the Tigers will be focused on improving their run game in 2025 by ironing out some prospects for a lead rusher. ESPN noted that a late-season injury to runningback Phil Mafah pretty much shut down Clemson’s running game. This spring, the Tigers will need to build that part of their offense back up.
Adam Randall is listed as making the full switch to tailback, giving him plenty of space to make some plays in the upcoming training season. David Eziomume will be right alongside Randall and the two will be points of interest as training rolls along.
Those two seasoned players will be joined by Clemson’s latest freshman prospect, Gideon Davidson, a player with massive potential as a first-year back. Swinney has high hopes for Davidson and will be keeping a watchful eye on the young star throughout spring training.
The Tigers have plenty of potential and momentum built up for what is to come in college football. The team as a whole will be working towards relieving pressure off the offense by building up their defensive line. Swinney’s new prospects paired with some seasoned Clemson blood should make for an exciting 2025 run.