A lot of folks are high on Clemson. And no, it’s not just ACC talk anymore. We’re talking national energy down in Death Valley. And as you can guess, Dabo Swinney is pulling out all the stops to make it happen. That includes calling in a 6’8 basketball forward to patch up his roster depth. Yeah, it’s that serious. 

Let’s start with the big picture. In a new episode on Josh Pate’s College Football Show on May 4, Josh Pate didn’t just throw out Clemson as a title contender. He endorsed it. Pulling out a tweet by redacted which boldly predicted—“The ACC puts 3 in the playoffs,” he didn’t bite it. Instead, he gave Clemson a 9.25 out of 10 shot to win the conference title and more. “9.25. Almost a 9.5. I’m putting a 9.25 on this,” the CFB analyst said. “Clemson has the seventh-best odds to make or to win it all this year. They’ve got the best odds to win the ACC. They’ve got the seventh-best odds to win the whole thing this year.” Well, the odds are more than just hype. 

FanDuel has Clemson tied at seventh-best national title odds at +1400, making them the only ACC team with odds better than +3000. Miami’s next at +3300, Louisville and SMU come in at +7500 each, and Georgia Tech is sitting way back at +12000. But Dabo Swinney’s Tigers aren’t just the ACC favorite. They’re the only ACC team Vegas believes can hang out with the Bamas and Ohio States of the world. 

Josh Pate also did the math on teams with the most first-rounders predicted in early mock drafts. “According to the mock draft community, Clemson (will win the national title), we aggregated all of them. Jordan Reid at ESPN, a late addition… Clemson, 3.2 on average first-rounders for the upcoming NFL Draft. So this is it, guys. This is it,” he said. Adding weight to his take, five of the last six national champions had the most R1 picks in the following draft, except Michigan. Well, this is just pure guessing; something we’ll have to keep guessing until the real action begins. But there’s another big deal about Clemson. Dabo Swinney’s not just relying on stats and mock predictions. He’s literally building bodies. 

Dabo Swinney gets very serious with Ian Schieffelin

Clemson’s TE room is thin after Jake Briningstool signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. Dabo Swinney needed depth, and he finally made that big pitch, which was previously perceived as a joke. Clemson basketball forward Ian Schieffelin never knew the Tigers HC was dead serious when he told him he’d make a great college football TE.

“The call two weeks ago was very serious,” the basketball star said. “And I thought, maybe it’s an opportunity to stay around a little longer and join a national championship contender.” So now, instead of chasing the hoops, the 240-pounder is suiting up for fall camp. 

The next six months are going to be crucial for Ian Schieffelin. “I’d never rule out me going back to basketball,” he said. “I’ll see how these next six months go, see how development goes, see if I really like playing football. But I think this is a good opportunity for the next six months.” As for Dabo Swinney, he’s optimistic with his “elite football measurables.” And his goal is to give him not just a national title contender platform, “but also give him a chance to play pro football.” 

With Cade Klubnik entering Year 3, with 3,639 yards and 36 TDs under his belt, and a young, hungry group of receivers around him, this Clemson team could be a major force beyond the ACC.