Clemson Tigers Biggest Weakness Revealed by College Football Analysts

College football analysts have revealed what the biggest weakness the Clemson Tigers have to overcome during the 2024 season.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) passes the ball near Furman Paladins safety Jalen Miller (36) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina Saturday, September 10, 2022. / Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK

There are a lot of eyes on the Clemson Tigers entering the 2024 college football season. They are riding some very positive momentum after finishing the 2023 campaign on a five-game winning streak.

That included a victory over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl. While it was encouraging to see the team rally after an underwhelming 4-4 start, it was the first time since 2010, Dabo Swinney’s second year on the job, that the Tigers failed to win double-digit games.

Clemson will be looking to start a new streak in 2024, but it will be a challenge. They have one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, which begins with a season opener against Georgia, the No. 1 ranked team in the preseason polls.

Right now, the Tigers have four ranked opponents on their schedule and four more who received votes in the preseason poll. There are plenty of hurdles to overcome, but if Swinney and company can navigate them successfully, they will be in a position to not only win the ACC but earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

What will it take for that to happen? Improving on their weaknesses would be a good start. In the opinion of Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman of PFF, the biggest weakness Clemson faces in 2024 is if their passing game will improve.

“Clemson’s passing game was almost the sole reason why the team wasn’t a playoff contender last year. Quarterback Cade Klubnik wasn’t able to live up to his five-star hype as a sophomore, posting just a 102nd-ranked PFF passing grade (63.9). The Tigers also finished the year 90th in receiving grade and lost No. 2 receiver Beaux Collins to Notre Dame this offseason. Since Dabo Swinney refuses to bring in transfers, this unit needs to make serious progress,” they wrote.

Last season, a major issue for the Tigers was their lack of explosiveness offensively. They were a methodical team, unable to consistently push the ball down the field. 

Their explosive pass play rate was abysmal at 10.7 percent, which was tied for 122nd in the nation. Some of that can be attributed to Cade Klubnik, but the offensive line wasn’t great either. 

Some more numbers that show how underwhelming of a unit this was in 2023; Clemson ranked 100th in yards per play at 5.2 and 78th in EPA per play with a -0.033. They had a successful play rate of 37.5 percent, which was 42nd and explosive run play rate of 16.7 percent, which was 50th.

If the Tigers are going to remain near the top of the ACC with the likes of Florida State, Miami and NC State, those numbers have to improve.

Despite Beaux Collins transferring, there is a lot of talent at wide receiver for the team to rely on. Highly touted freshman wide receivers Bryant Wesco Jr. and TJ Moore will be joined by Antonio Williams, Tyler Brown, Troy Stellato and Adam Randall.