The Clemson Tigers are having a busy offseason so far between recruiting, the transfer portal, and finding a new defensive coordinator.
It was a very good season for the Tigers in 2024. Clemson was able to win 10 games and another ACC title. The program did make the newly expanded College Football Playoff, but was eliminated in the first round.
While it was a very successful campaign in 2024, expectations are very high for next season. With Cade Klubnik and most of the offense returning, the Tigers should have one of the best offenses in the country, and a potential Heisman candidate at quarterback.
Over the course of the year, the offense and Klubnik really improved in 2024. Thinking about what the unit can accomplish this coming season is exciting, but they will need support from the other side of the ball.
Unfortunately, the defense of Clemson struggled last year, especially against the run. This resulted in the program parting ways with their defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin, but it did open up what should be a very desirable destination for other coaches.
Gavin Oliver of the Clemson Insider recently spoke about some of the speculation that has been surrounding the opening at defensive coordinator. One name that has been mentioned lately is Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Al Golden.
“Rumors have circulated around Clemson that Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden is a candidate for the job. TCI has confirmed that is not the case and a source tells TCI that Golden is likely to end up with an NFL team.”
The Fighting Irish have had an amazing season, and a lot of that is because of their defense. Against the pass, the unit emerged as one of the best in the country led by Golden.
Why he would have been an excellent choice, the success of Notre Dame might result in the defensive coordinator and potentially even head coach Marcus Freeman getting interest at the next level.
With Golden not being an option for Clemson, he marks the second top potential option that seemingly won’t be coming, as Tim Banks from the Tennessee Volunteers also is seemingly out of the running.
Now, the Tigers still have plenty of good options to choose from in college. However, they also might be interested in looking at some NFL positional coaches.
For Dabo Swinney, finding the right man with the right experience is going to be key. This is a team that has all the tools on the offensive side of the ball to win a National Championship. However, they will need their defense to step up and be much better than it was in 2024. Adding the right coordinator should be able to help solve that problem
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