Clemson — ACC
HC
Dabo Swinney · Memorial Stadium (Clemson, SC) · Clemson, SC · 81,500 cap
PPA off / def
0.18 / 0.09
2025
Class rank
#20
class of 2026
Returning PPA
41%
returning production
| 2020 |
OSU W 49–28 | away |
| 2019 |
OSU L 23–29 | Columbus |
| 2016 |
OSU L 0–31 | away |
| 2013 |
OSU L 35–40 | Columbus |
| 1978 |
OSU L 15–17 | away |
2026 schedule
2025 results (7–6)
Statistical comps — 2025 Clemson's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (11 in / 15 out)
Origins
Frank Howard ran the place for thirty years and gave it Death Valley. Swinney, promoted from interim in 2008, then beat Alabama twice for national titles and turned a small-town land-grant school into a permanent contender.
Founded 1889 · Created by Thomas Green Clemson's will, which left his plantation to the state · first football 1896 · defined by Dabo Swinney
All-time record
All-time
795–475–44
1902–2025
Win %
62.2%
124 seasons played
Winning seasons
80
65% of seasons
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 2018 | 15 | 0 | ACC |
| 2019 | 14 | 1 | ACC |
| 2016 | 14 | 1 | ACC |
| 2015 | 14 | 1 | ACC |
| 1981 | 12 | 0 | ACC |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1902 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 361 | 47% |
47% | 30 of 136 | 6.4 | 13% |
| 2nd down | 253 | 43% |
41% | 73 of 136 | 6.0 | 12% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 50 | 66% |
54% | — | 4.9 | 12% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 53 | 17% |
34% | — | 5.7 | 15% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 62 | 16% |
18% | — | 5.6 | 8% |
| 4th down | 32 | 47% |
59% | — | 3.6 | 6% |
154 drives · 35% ended in points · 7.0 plays and 38.9 yards per drive · 0.96 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 8 | SMU |
Christopher Vizzina pass complete to T.J. Moore for 62 yds for a TD (Nolan Hauser KICK) |
62 | 6.67 |
| 3 | Georgia Tech |
Cade Klubnik pass complete to Bryant Wesco Jr. for 73 yds for a TD (Nolan Hauser KICK) |
73 | 6.43 |
| 10 | Duke |
T.J. Moore 75 Yd pass from Cade Klubnik (Nolan Hauser Kick) |
75 | 6.08 |
| 6 | North Carolina |
Antonio Williams pass complete to T.J. Moore for 75 yds for a TD (Nolan Hauser KICK) |
75 | 6.08 |
| 8 | SMU |
Christopher Vizzina pass complete to Tristan Smith for 23 yds for a TD SMU Penalty, Defens… |
23 | 5.69 |
| 10 | Duke |
(09:01) No Huddle-Shotgun #2 C.Klubnik pass complete deep middle to #0 A.Williams caught a… |
64 | 4.54 |
| 13 | Furman |
(09:09) No Huddle-Shotgun #15 C.Denson rush right for 50 yards gain to the FUR18 (#4 D.Col… |
50 | 3.88 |
| CFP | Penn State |
No Huddle-Shotgun #2 C.Klubnik pass complete deep middle to #6 T.Brown caught at PSU35, fo… |
20 | 3.85 |