Navarro on Clemson: 'They've taken a step back to what they were before Dabo got there'
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It wasn’t the season opener Clemson fans had hoped for. The Tigers entered Saturday’s Aflac Kickoff Game against top-ranked Georgia with aspirations of pulling off an upset or at least keeping the contest close enough to prove they still belong among college football's elite. For a half, it looked possible. But as the second half unfolded, the floodgates opened, and Georgia turned a tense 6-0 game into a 34-3 blowout, leaving Clemson with more questions than answers.
Manny Navarro, a college football writer for The Athletic, didn’t hold back when discussing the state of Clemson’s football program on SiriusXM's College Sports Nation during his visit on Monday. Navarro’s comments suggest a significant shift in how Clemson is perceived, both on and off the field.
“I was super concerned with Clemson going into this year,” Navarro said. “When I was looking at their schedule, in all honesty, I was like, maybe they're an eight-win team again.”
The orange-and-white powerhouse that had dominated the ACC and consistently competed for national championships under head coach Dabo Swinney now appears to be at a crossroads. Navarro’s concerns extend beyond just one game; he sees a broader issue with the program's current trajectory.
“I just don't think they have enough playmakers on the offensive side,” Navarro added. “Phil Mafah is a solid running back, but they're not overwhelmingly better than every other team in the ACC like they have been in years past. From a defensive line perspective, I don't know if they're as deep as they used to be.”
Clemson's decline in recent years is evident in their record against Power Five opponents. The Tigers are just 8-7 in their last 15 games against such teams, a stark contrast to their dominance earlier in Swinney’s tenure, where they only lost seven of their previous 57 Power Five matchups.
For Navarro, part of Clemson's problem stems from Swinney’s reluctance to fully embrace the transfer portal, a tool many other programs have utilized to fill roster gaps quickly.
“You can't cut off a valve where you can add talent to your roster,” Navarro argued. “There's just too much player movement across college football to say, ‘I'm just going to do it with high school recruits.’ You just can't because you have to bat like .500, .600, or .700 with high school recruiting to really be able to survive that way.”
Clemson’s next test comes this weekend when they host Appalachian State, a program with a history of pulling off upsets, including a win at Texas A&M in 2022 and the iconic victory over Michigan in 2007. The Tigers will need to regroup quickly if they hope to avoid being the next big name on the Mountaineers list, but Navarro’s comments suggest the issues run deeper than just one bad performance.
“I just think Dabo’s cut himself off from the reality that you need to be able to find proven players who can come in and replace somebody that you lose,” Navarro said. “I look at Clemson, and I think this is a program.—they've taken a step back to what they were before Dabo got there. In my mind, that's what they are. They are the Clemson before Dabo got there.”
As Clemson looks to rebound against App State, the spotlight will be on Swinney and his staff to prove they can right the ship. With doubts swirling about the program’s direction, one thing is clear: Nationally, Clemson is not perceived to be the juggernaut it once was.
