The AP is seated for Clemson dominance this season, awarding the Tigers the No. 4 position in its preseason poll. Because who doesn’t want to see Cade Klubnik do what he did in 2024 – and maybe more – this year? Fans are building up their hopes of a third Natty under Dabo Swinney, and they surely wouldn’t want anything less than a playoff spot. One CFB expert throws light on an underdog who can turn out to be one of the most influential elements for the Tigers this season. And maybe, it all rolls out the red carpet for Swinney to take his final walk.

“I think we’re going to be the first 16-0 team,” Dabo Swinney told the press. It’s an outright bold take, but he’s got the elements to help him come close to that. After all, Swinney has had one unbeaten season. He knows how things have to work for this season. He’s got a Heisman candidate and a likely top draft pick in Klubnik. The QB, in turn, will have a supporting cast consisting of receivers Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr., and T.J. Moore. The running game, however, has been an area of doubt for Clemson. The Tigers lost their top runners from the past 2 seasons – Phil Mafah and Will Shipley – to the NFL.

That brings out a wide range of RB talent to be experimented on this season to help Klubnik on the ground. 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins said in an August 16 appearance on CBS Sports HQ, “If Clemson’s going to make the College Football Playoff, then Gideon Davidson is going to have to play a large role in that offense.” According to Ivins, the Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year and the No. 2 RB of the 2025 class should be able to recreate the production of Mafah. The Cowboys RB and Klubnik both saw a great 2024, with Mafah pitching in 216 carries, 1,115 rushing yards, and 8 TDs.

“He’s a key piece that they need,” the analyst explained further. Davidson helped his high school clinch the state championship in 2024 with an unbeaten record. He has a total of 7,725 rushing yards and 121 TDs from his prep career, making him a dependable candidate to replace Mafah as a starter.

“We needed a running back, and we think we got the best in the country,” Swinney said of Davidson’s development during spring camp. Predicted to be one of the best supporting cast members for Klubnik on the backfield, Davidson even got a Travis Etienne Jr. comparison. However, he will have to beat out one of Swinney’s major experiments in the RB room: Adam Randall.

Mafah and Shipley’s departure was going to be a major problem for Dabo Swinney. Clemson has 4 healthy RBs as candidates for the starter at the moment, including Davidson and Randall. The others include Keith Adams Jr. and David Eziomume. The HC is notorious for avoiding the transfer portal as best he can. But he saw a solution in Randall. He debuted as an RB in the ACC Championship last year and set up a crucial kickoff return that helped the Tigers with that game-winning drive. That’s why Swinney put Randall in the rushing attack this year, hoping to make more use of his running abilities. He even called him his “wild card” and said that the newly turned RB is “one of the best stories in college football.”

With Clemson riding high on expectations this year, it’s going to be either glory or nothing for Dabo Swinney to go down as one of the best in college football. Though he is yet to set a timer for that inevitable decision, Josh Pate thinks one more title should be the right moment.

One more Natty should set the perfect stage for Dabo Swinney’s retirement

Dabo Swinney is currently the only other active HC with the most Natty wins, holding 2 titles. Clemson has never tasted success on this level and is one of the only teams in CFB to still stick to the old ways while the rest of the sport undergoes a complete overhaul. All because Dabo Swinney wants to keep Clemson an elite program in college football. The man has given 18 years to make the Tigers a team to always be on the lookout for. And maybe after one more victorious ride to the big one and one more Natty, Swinney can bow out.

Josh Pate painted the idyllic picture for this situation to play out in an appearance on David Pollack’s See Ball Get Ball. “Right on the national championship stage, confetti still raining down. You just say, thank you, good night, and throw that thing and just walk down a tunnel. And that’s the last we ever see of Dabo Swinney,” he said. Though Tigers fans need not worry about Swinney’s retirement anytime soon, that is exactly how a coach of his stature should be bidding college football goodbye. Experts are high on Clemson winning the Natty this year, especially with the way the squad is shaping up.

A top-tier Cade Klubnik returns in a promising offense designed by Garrett Riley. Swinney has an equally elite defense ready to take the heat. This is a squad that could give him his 3rd National Championship, by all means. And who knows, maybe even a freshman like Gideon Davidson could be a part of this momentous scenario.