In the world of college football, parents act as a shield. But fans frequently criticize them for interfering in their sons’ decisions. Meanwhile, the internet begins a controversy that Clemson’s dynamic wide receiver, T.J. Moore, could be thinking of leaving the Tigers program. Fingers are being pointed to alleged coaching decisions and favoritism. Now his mother has come out to clarify her role and defend her son’s position on the matter.

T.J. Moore’s mother, Alexandra Moore, took to the Platform X, breaking her silence on the relentless criticism of herself and her son while addressing the subject once and for all. “To be clear. Tj makes his own moves. My emotions are exactly that … mine. I will forever support whatever decision my kids make. I will forever be a Tiger. And yes, he is smart.” She wrote this as a reply to a fan, who called her out for her alleged involvement in Moore’s decision making.

T.J. Moore is having a decent outing with the Tigers this season. Although he has found it really hard to get out of the shadow of Antonio Williams. He has been getting fewer passes thrown towards him by Cade Klubnik. As usually Klubnik’s plan A, B, and C consists of throwing it to Williams or nothing. The lack of opportunities is bound to affect Moore’s decision of staying with the Clemson Tigers or transferring. This whole fiasco has the internet debating his future.

If we go by the numbers, TJ Moore should be the primary target for Klubnik and a centerpiece for Swinney’s offensive strategy. In 8 games, Moore has managed 28 receptions for 499 yards and four touchdowns. Although it’s decent, but not on par with the expectations after his performance against Texas last year. On the other hand, Williams has only 33 receptions for 367 yards and one touchdown this season, numbers way worse than those of Moore.

Cade Klubnik has struggled with making quick decisions and tends to lock onto receivers. This ultimately forces the team into difficult positions, making it hard to score. Moreover, the entire offensive scheme of the Clemson Tigers has been called “Vanilla” by experts. They suffer from indecision and lack of a good strategy. All this has reflected on their performance this season, which has been languishing at the bottom of the rankings nationally.

Clemson’s Catastrophic 2025 Season

The defending ACC champions find themselves in free fall. Clemson enters the final stretch of the 2025 season with a dismal 3-5 record and 2-4 in the conference. The worst start under Dabo Swinney in nearly a decade. The Tigers have lost four home games for the first time since 1998. And they are facing the prospect of missing a bowl game. What makes the collapse even more surprising is that Clemson entered the season ranked fourth in the AP Top 25 Poll. The offense has ranked 111th nationally in total yards per game, a bad look for a program built on offensive might.​​

The root cause of Clemson’s struggles points directly to the offense’s inability to sustain drives. Through 8 games, Garrett Riley’s offense has frequently stalled the initial burst of downs, resulting in three-and-outs that leave the defense exhausted. The Tigers have been unable to play the kind of football that built Clemson’s legacy, instead forcing the defense into overtime work, leaving them fatigued and fragile.

On November 1st, Duke delivered the final blow to Clemson’s hopes, leaving Death Valley with a narrow 46-45 victory. Their first one here in a long time. Darian Mensah, Duke’s sophomore quarterback, was great in execution, completing 27 of 41 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns. Although the Tigers kept pace throughout most of the contest, Klubnik threw for 385 yards and two touchdowns on 27 completions. However, the game was ultimately decided by a controversial defensive pass interference penalty with 49 seconds remaining.

Swinney’s frustration was evident after the loss. “It shouldn’t come down to that,” he said. “We had numerous chances to secure the win, but that’s one of the most egregious calls I’ve encountered throughout my entire coaching career.” Yet the loss was far more than an issue of bad officiating. It laid bare Clemson’s inability to execute in critical moments.