Clemson aims to forge its own legacy in 2025, moving past wall banners that honored past heroes and demanding that today’s Tigers earn every accolade. Wade Woodaz frames it as a push to define greatness from within, not by walls or nostalgia. The program enters as a top national contender, with Cade Klubnik at the helm after 2024’s strong continuity and a veteran offense around him.

No. 6 in the preseason poll, Clemson returns depth and production, and the coaching staff kept Garrett Riley and much of the line intact, signaling an offense with Heisman chatter surrounding Klubnik. The defense plugs in familiar faces like Woodaz and Capehart, while the new coordinator Tom Allen reshapes expectations around a newer “Power Rangers” front that mirrors historic Clemson fronts but seeks its own peak. A showdown with LSU to start the season looms large, setting the tone for a run at the CFP and a possible repeat bid in a 12-team era.

Swinney’s message is blunt: be talked about like Grady Jarrett or Trevor Lawrence only if you prove it on the field. The Tigers’ schedule tests them in August and beyond, with Georgia Tech, SMU, Louisville and a brutal rival tilt with South Carolina shaping a gauntlet that demands the program grow up quickly. The piece ties legacy to urgency, arguing that this group has to earn its place on banners and in the facility’s walls, not just in the memory of Clemson’s history.