Clemson ranks top 5 in ESPN’s college football future power rankings for defense

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Year after year, Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program boast one of the best defenses in college football, and that isn’t expected to change in 2024. 

The Tigers have a tremendous amount of talent on their defense and continue to recruit at a tremendous level on that side of the ball. In the 2023 recruiting class, it was bringing in guys such as defensive tackle Peter Woods and defensive end T.J. Parker, two immediate impact stars on the defensive line along with multiple players in the secondary who stepped up and made the Tigers’ defense special. The 2024 class has seen players such as five-star linebacker Sammy Brown join the program, who looks like an immediate impact player in his own right. 

With Clemson having a strong defense in 2024 and looking beyond that, the Tigers ranked No. 4 in ESPN’s future defense rankings ($$$). A drop from No. 2 last season, but still a strong ranking. 

Clemson’s first four-loss season since 2011 wasn’t tied to any significant slippage on defense. The Tigers still finished in the top 10 nationally in yards allowed, fifth in expected points added (defense) and second behind Michigan in defensive efficiency. Like any perennially strong group, Clemson loses key players at all three levels, especially the front seven, but the returning star power is there. If several depth pieces emerge, coordinator Wes Goodwin should field a formidable group in 2024 and beyond. The secondary is a short-term question mark, although Clemson returns intriguing players like sophomore cornerback Avieon Terrell (6 pass breakups in 2023), sophomore nickel Khalil Barnes (team-high 3 forced fumbles) and senior safety R.J. Mickens, who ranked third on the team in tackles. Like Terrell, sophomore cornerback Shelton Lewis also gained valuable playing time as a freshman. Clemson could…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/clemson-ranks-top-5-espn-130255020.html

Author : Clemson Wire

Publish date : 2024-04-09 13:02:55

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