USA TODAY Sports reveals post-spring outlook for Clemson football

Spring practice concluded this month across college football, and national experts are reevaluating teams based on where they stood in January during the NCAA transfer portal window.

USA TODAY Sports is doing the same with its post-spring top 25 rankings this week, the first batch released by veteran college football reporter and analyst Paul Myerberg since his initial way-too-early rankings the day after the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The Clemson Tigers saw one of the biggest drops in USA TODAY’s rankings. Dabo Swinney’s team fell five spots to No. 24. The Tigers are ranked below No. 22 Florida State and one spot behind the Houston Cougars. Clemson edged Boise State for the second to last spot in the rankings.

Myerberg and analyst Erick Smith outlined their concerns for Clemson as it heads into the summer.

“No Cade Klubnik on campus and no quarterback from the transfer portal means this spring was all about giving time to Christopher Vizzina to get acclimated to the starting role with new offensive coordinator Chad Morris.”

Vizzina made one start for Clemson in 2025 and looked serviceable in the Tigers’ 35-24 loss to SMU on Oct. 18. He completed 29 of 42 passes for 317 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

He enters his redshirt junior season in 2026 having thrown 105 career passes for 596 yards, four touchdowns and one interception overall. Vizzina was a four-star recruit out of Briarwood Christian in Birmingham in the class of 2023. He chose the Tigers over in-state foe Auburn as well as Arkansas in the SEC.

There’s some good news for Clemson, though. For Myerberg and Smith, it starts with the returns of talented receivers Bryant Wesco and TJ Moore.

“Wesco and Moore look poised to have big seasons if Vizzina can deliver the ball. The portal brought in reinforcements for the defense — notably lineman Markus Strong (Oklahoma) and defensive back Elliot Washington II (Penn State) — to join a group led by standout linebacker Sammy Brown. But there’s still overall questions about this roster’s ability to push for a playoff spot.”

Wesco suffered a season-ending back injury on a punt return in the Tigers’ loss to SMU, but he expects to be healthy in 2026. Moore led all receivers with 837 yards while starting all 13 games. Both Wesco and Moore were highly coveted five-star recruits in the class of 2024.

The only team that fell further than Clemson in USA TODAY Sports’ rankings from January was Texas Tech. The Red Raiders dropped eight spots to No. 15.

Florida State over Clemson football in ACC post-spring rankings?

As for what puts Florida State — a program without a winning season since 2023 and a head coach on the hottest of seats in Mike Norvell — ahead of Clemson in USA TODAY Sports’ post-spring rankings, Myerberg wrote:

“The quarterback competition in the spring was won by Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels, settling one question. Others remain with the offensive line still unsettled after a wave of transfers. Things are more sorted on the defensive side of the ball with coordinator Tony White entering his second season. Daniel Lyons emerged as the leader on a young defensive line that has showed promise. Norvell has been positive about the linebacker group that welcomed transfer Chris Jones (Southern Mississippi). Ja’BrilRawls is the standout in the secondary that has several returning pieces.”

The Tigers finished the 2025 season 7-6 overall after a No. 4 preseason ranking in the AP Top 25 poll. Florida State suffered its second straight losing season with a 5-7 finish in 2025. Clemson defeated the Seminoles for the ninth time in the series’ last 10 meetings, 24-10, on Nov. 8 in Death Valley.