Every camp storyline in Clemson runs through the pressure now attached to the program, and this one centers on a quarterback race with no incumbent after Cade Klubnik's departure left the job open for the new signal-caller to win outright. Chad Morris steps in as the new offensive coordinator, replacing Garrett Riley, while the defensive coordinator returns to oversee a unit built around a top-tier defensive profile. The offense projects as merely above average, and the roster math explains why: Antonio Williams is gone to the draft, Josh Sapp left for West Virginia, and the offense returns just 12 percent of its targets, meaning the passing game gets rebuilt around unproven pieces even as the offensive line stays mostly intact at 68 percent continuity. On defense, the front seven faces its own churn — edge and role-loss attrition are real — but the position group getting reinforced is the secondary, with Chris Johnson Jr. arriving from SMU as the headline portal addition after last season's pass defense issues pushed Clemson toward outside help.

JP+ projects 7.9 wins, a number that reflects a team with a top-tier defensive ceiling but genuine structural uncertainty at quarterback and along the offensive skill groups. The schedule doesn't make it easy — road trips to LSU and Florida State bookend a home date with Miami — but there's cushion built in against North Carolina, Georgia Southern, and Charleston Southern. If the new starting quarterback settles in quickly and the front seven holds up despite the turnover, Clemson's talent level supports an ACC title push and a return to the sport's upper tier. If either breaks down, a second straight underwhelming season will make the hot-seat noise surrounding the coaching staff considerably louder.