ESPN names the biggest strength and weakness for Clemson football entering 2025

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Months ahead of the 2025 college football season, the Clemson Tigers have a lot of buzz around the program this spring after a 10-win campaign and a trip to the College Football Playoffs in 2024.

Clemson finished 10-4 last season thanks to the improved play of quarterback Cade Klubnik under second-year offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. Klubnik's stellar junior season saw him throw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns to six interceptions.

The Tigers' young receivers corps, which included freshmen Bryant Wesco (41 catches, 708 yards) and T.J. Moore (45 catches, 651 yards) showed a lot of early return on their potential as five-star recruits. Sophomore Antonio Williams had a stellar season in his third year in the program with a career-high 75 receptions for 904 yards to lead the team.

After winning the ACC Championship Game on a 56-yard Nolan Hauser field goal to beat SMU for a thrilling 34-31 victory as time expired, Dabo Swinney and the Tigers enter 2025 at No. 7 in ESPN's way-too-early Top 25 offseason rankings. The Tigers are ranked one spot below the Oregon Ducks and one spot ahead of the LSU Tigers in ESPN's rankings.

On Tuesday, ESPN's staff of college football writers and analysts offered their biggest strengths and weaknesses for every team in its way-too-early Top 25.

To no surprise, Klubnik was named the Tigers' biggest strength. Andrea Adelson said of the former five-star QB out of Austin, Texas:

"Klubnik enters his third full season as the starter, so this has to be a strength for the Tigers. We have watched Klubnik mature over the past two seasons from an often-unsure first-time starter to a player in far more command of the offseason last year, and he had an under-the-radar great performance in 2024 (3,639 yards, 36 TDs, 6 INTs). Clemson returns its top three receivers, and it gets Tyler Brown back from injury, so the potential is there for this to be the Tigers' best offense since Trevor Lawrence's last season in 2020."

The Tigers biggest weakness, Adelson says, is at running back after the loss of senior Phil Mafah.

"We have pointed out previously that this is the biggest question mark on the team following the departure of starter Phil Mafah (NFL draft), injury to Jay Haynes (knee rehab) and general lack of experienced depth. That is why, at least for now, this position is considered a "weakness." There is plenty of talent, starting with freshman Gideon Davidson, but we simply don't know how the rotation will shape up and who is going to get the bulk of the reps.

Clemson's annual Orange and White spring game is set for April 5 at 1 p.m. ET. The Tigers will open the 2025 season against LSU at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson football has potential for best offense since Trevor Lawrence

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