Clemson coach Dabo Swinney shares his excitement for 2025 as Tigers face LSU in season opener

The Clemson Tigers will be heading into the 2025 season as one of the most experienced teams in the country. They have recorded a retention rate of more than 80%, and most of their players are returning for the upcoming campaign. Not to mention, the veteran quarterback Cade Klubnik will be the highlight for Clemson fans.

Last season, the team made the playoffs after a long absence of over four years.

However, Steve Sarkisian and Texas shattered Dabo Swinney's aspirations in the first round of the College Football Playoff, where the Tigers lost 38-24. This year, Swinney believes the expectations are quite different, and his team is ready more than ever.

The veteran coach attended the ACC media days in Charlotte on Thursday, where he spoke about his team's season aspirations.

"Just super excited to be at this point in our 2025 journey. This is kind of what it all builds to, just getting to the season," Swinney told reporters (Timestamp: 0:06). "You work all year for just a few days, and one of those days is coming up just a few weeks down the road. An opportunity to get back on the field with our team as a full staff and a complete team next week. ..."

Clemson will face the LSU Tigers in the season opener on August 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

"It's been a good offseason," Swinney added. "The guys have put the work in. We've been around a lot of good teams, and this team has the ingredients to be a really good team, but we've got to go do the work. We can't talk about it or predict our way into it."

Dabo Swinney unfazed by unprecedented media attention

The Tigers stand as an ACC powerhouse that has the potential to lift a national championship trophy. Lately, the media attention around Cade Klubnik and Dabo Swinney has been on another level.

While speaking to the reporters last week, he mentioned that there is a huge difference between making the actions count and throwing random comments for clicks.

Heading into 2025, Clemson aims to repeat their ACC championship quest and find a spot in the College Football Playoff.

After the latest revisions to the CFP model, the Tigers have a better chance to make the 12-team bracket, especially with Klubnik at the helm. Nothing less than an 11+ winning game season would satisfy the Clemson fans this year.

Edited by Ribin Peter