Dabo Swinney predicts Clemson will be the first college football program to go 16-0
By Mark Kern
Published:
Dabo Swinney has already been a part of a special college football season, as the Clemson Tigers won the national championship and had the first 15-0 season in college football history in 2018.
Last season, the Tigers made it to the College Football Playoff, losing to Texas in the first round.
Entering the 2025 campaign, Clemson is being looked at as one of the top teams in all of college football, and a legitimate national title contender. Swinney believes his team is in position to be successful both this season and into the future.
“I’ve had one undefeated team,” Swinney told ESPN as part of a wide-ranging story published Monday. “In 2018, we were the first 15-0 team in the history of major college football — ever. And I think we’re going to be the first 16-0 team. It’s a race to do that.”
One of the biggest reasons why Swinney has so much optimism — at least for this upcoming season — is because of quarterback Cade Klubnik. He endured some ups and downs early in his Clemson career, but put it all together last year by throwing for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns.
Clemson has some big time playmakers at the receiver position, and a defense led by future first-round NFL picks in Peter Woods and TJ Parker, who anchor arguably the best front-4 in all of college football.
In Week 1, the Tigers host LSU in one of the biggest non-conference games of the year.
