3 big questions facing Clemson football, Dabo Swinney heading into 2024 season

Clemson football is back in session.

The Tigers formally reported to campus on Tuesday and will take the field in their first preseason practice on Thursday ahead of a huge 2024 season opener.

And a big 2024 season in general.

After missing a third consecutive College Football Playoff and snapping a 12-year streak of 10 or more wins last season, Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney are eager to prove they’re still one of the elite programs in the sport.

There’s no better test than an Aug. 31 season opener against Georgia in Atlanta. The Bulldogs are 42-2 over the past three seasons with two national championships — and they’re a current 13.5-point betting favorite for the game against the Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Heading into that Week 1 test and the 2024 season at large, here are three big questions facing Swinney and Clemson as they hit the practice fields this week.

How much has QB Cade Klubnik grown?

The pairing of quarterback Cade Klubnik and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley felt like a sure thing entering the 2023 season. But it was a little too good to be true.

Klubnik got a ton of opportunities last year during an up-and-down season and, to his credit, stayed remarkably healthy and flashed some five-star talent. But he threw nine interceptions, lost five fumbles for a turnover total of 14 and far too often lacked consistency.

It’s hard to lead a conference in pass attempts and pass completions while still ranking last in yards per attempt and second to last in passing efficiency. But that’s exactly what Klubnik did last year in the ACC — and exactly what he needs to change.

The leadership and perseverance are there, but those intangibles only mean so much. Cutting down on drive-killing turnovers and getting the ball downfield more feel like non-negotiables entering Klubnik’s junior year, especially after a poor outing in the spring game.

Everyone around Klubnik needs to be better in 2024, his wide receivers and nearly $2 million play-caller included. But he’s playing the most important position in the sport. Fair or not, the focus is on him and always will be.

Can new defenders slide right in … again?

Linebacker Wade Woodaz for Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Cornerback Avieon Terrell for Nate Wiggins.

Defensive linemen DeMonte Capehart and Payton Page for Ruke Orhorhoro and Tyler Davis.

Clemson’s made a habit of casually replacing NFL talent with more NFL talent throughout its defense — which has probably been good enough to make the CFP each of the past three seasons — but it’s worth noting that’s not as easy as the Tigers make it look.

There are serious voids left by All-ACC talents such as Trotter, Wiggins, Orhorhoro and Davis, and that’s not to mention the positional tweaks Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin and staff have made to supplement Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll at defensive end.

Linebacker Barrett Carter is a proven star, and defensive linemen Peter Woods and T.J. Parker and safety Khalil Barnes are all-star sophomores. But a defensive unit only thrives with excellence — or passable play, at least — at all 11 on-field spots.

Woodaz and Terrell have both flashed as young guys. Capehart and Page have waited their turn. Just remember they’re not the all-conference players they’re replacing just yet, and there could be some growing pains and rotation swapping at various positions early in the season.

What does success look like in expanded CFP?

Swinney’s talked a lot in recent years about how making the college football equivalent of the Final Four every year, as Clemson did from 2015-20, is a tall task.

Point taken. But under that same logic, making a 12-team playoff is far more palatable — and a realistic 2024 goal for Clemson that would bring a lot of good feelings to a program that has been good but not great since its last CFP game on Jan. 1, 2021.

Under the new format starting this season, teams such as Clemson aren’t functionally eliminated from the CFP after losing a second game.

And the importance of winning a conference championship — which more or less would guarantee any Power 4 team a first-round bye into the quarterfinal — has never been greater.

CFP expansion means more opportunity for more teams, and more pressure on Clemson and Swinney to get back to the playoff stage immediately, as many continue to question his program’s strategy on name, image and likeness and transfer portal recruiting.

For better or for worse, the Tigers get an immediate dose of that sort of playoff environment in Week 1 against Georgia. Buckle up.

Clemson football 2024 schedule

• Aug. 31: vs. Georgia in Atlanta, noon (ABC)

• Sept. 7: vs. App State, 8 p.m. (ACC Network)

• Sept. 14: OPEN

• Sept. 21: vs. NC State

• Sept. 28: vs. Stanford

• Oct. 5: at Florida State

• Oct. 12: at Wake Forest

• Oct. 19: vs. Virginia

• Oct. 26: OPEN

• Nov. 2: vs. Louisville

• Nov. 9: at Virginia Tech

• Nov. 16: at Pitt

• Nov. 23: vs. The Citadel

• Nov. 30: vs. South Carolina