Clemson’s 1–3 start has sparked frustration throughout the college football world, but no unit has come under heavier fire than the Tigers’ defensive line.
Once heralded as a group filled with future first-rounders, the front four has been repeatedly outmuscled, and critics are no longer holding back.
Former Clemson offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain and former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, on their show Mac and Murray, laid into the group following the Tigers’ 34–21 loss to Syracuse.
Murray set the tone by pointing out that this isn’t just about Clemson’s failures — Syracuse deserves credit:
“Fran Brown, hell yeah, great win. Let’s focus on Clemson now. What the hell is going on in Clemson? Because you were at home — at home — and got blasted in the trenches and everywhere else.”
Mac Lain, speaking from the perspective of a former Tiger, didn’t sugarcoat it:
“It was horrific. I don’t think it’s a talent problem because they have all these guys that are being evaluated by the NFL, but they’re just not making plays. They don’t look motivated.”
The motivation issue was a recurring theme. Murray emphasized that Clemson’s home-field advantage meant nothing because of how easily Syracuse controlled the line of scrimmage:
“To see Syracuse offensive line push back all those first-rounders to the second level — they were moving bodies, man. Syracuse’s offensive line was moving bodies, creating space. I watched the tape — Syracuse beat your ass. They bullied you on your home turf. That is unacceptable. This defensive line is a bunch of frauds. You’ve been punched for four games, and you’re supposed to be a bunch of first-rounders? BS. BS.”
Mac Lain didn’t disagree:
“Like, man up. Do something about it. Do something about it. Stop them.”
Both were clear — the excuses are gone. It’s Week 4, and patterns are set. Murray summed it up bluntly:
“It’s week four. What more can you do? You are who you are.”
The only consistent bright spot on defense, according to Mac Lain, has been transfer Will Heldt:
“He’s been the most talented, the hardest worker, the most productive player on that defense, maybe on the team. Bryant Wesco has been amazing, but on this team — and he’s a transfer. So go get more. Go get guys that can fill gaps, supplement what you need, supplement what you have.”
That led him to a harsher question about whether the problem is coaching or player effort:
“Is the defensive line coach bad? Is the defensive end coach bad? Those guys have coached All-Americans, coached draft picks, coached in the NFL. Do they not know how to coach anymore? Or is it a you problem? Defensive line, defensive ends — do you need to man up and play, give your all, and live up to the contract you signed?”
Murray closed with the sharpest contrast — Cade Klubnik’s effort compared to the defensive line:
“The difference between him and the D-line is effort. I think Cade has a ‘give a damn.’ I don’t see that from the defense, unfortunately, right now. … If you weren’t motivated when you had an opportunity to be a national contending football team, how motivated are you going to be now, when that is essentially gone? It’s gone.”
Their assessment is blunt, but it reflects what’s showing up on tape. Clemson’s defensive line — long the identity of its championship teams — has been bullied in consecutive weeks. The effort is lacking, and the motivation is being questioned not just by outside voices, but by a former Tiger himself. Until that changes, the “fraud” label will continue to hang over this unit.
