Clemson Football Alert: Tigers’ QB Injury Update & 2025 Playoff Impact

CLEMSON, S.C. — Anticipation is peaking in the Upstate as the No. 4 Clemson Tigers enter the final week of fall camp ahead of their primetime Aug. 30 showdown with No. 9 LSU at Memorial Stadium. It’s the program’s first SEC non-conference home opener in 15 years, and head coach Dabo Swinney insists his rebuilt roster is prepared to “embrace the target” that comes with preseason College Football Playoff expectations. Reengineered offense built around Cade Klubnik All-ACC quarterback Cade Klubnik added 12 pounds of muscle in the offseason and says the new run-pass-option wrinkles installed by coordinator Garrett Riley have “slowed the game down.” Clemson averaged just 29.4 points a game last season, but insiders report the Tigers surpassed 40 points in three of the first four scrimmages, with freshman slot dynamo Zion Madison emerging as the breakout playmaker. Offensive line depth finally a strength A sore spot the past two seasons, the line now features 10 scholarship players with 100-plus career snaps. Former five-star tackles Blake Miller and Tristan Leigh headline a unit that surrendered only one sack across 132 live-period snaps during the last two scrimmages. Graduate center Will Putnam calls this “the nastiest interior we’ve had since the 2018 title run.” Revamped defensive interior looks elite again Defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin replaces NFL draftees Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro with a wave of blue-chip tackles led by Peter Woods, Vic Burley and 340-pound sophomore Stephiylan Green. In a recent camp session, the trio combined for six sacks and four tackles for loss in just 29 snaps. Senior linebacker Barrett Carter believes the front “is deeper than the 2020 group everybody praised.” Key injury updates • RB Phil Mafah (hamstring) returned to drills Tuesday and is cleared for LSU, giving Clemson its thunder-and-lightning backfield with Will Shipley. • CB Jeadyn Lukus (shoulder) remains day-to-day; freshman five-star Bryant Gross-Armiento took first-team reps against LSU scout looks. • Kicker Robert Gunn III (hip) is expected to cede kickoff duties to incoming transfer Brayden Narveson, who drilled 58- and 61-yarders in Monday’s special-teams period. What’s at stake in the LSU opener Clemson hasn’t lost a season opener since 2014, but oddsmakers opened the Tigers as only 2-point favorites. A victory could propel Swinney’s team into the top three of the AP poll and provide an essential résumé boost before ACC play begins Sept. 13 at Georgia Tech. Conversely, an early slip would reignite questions about Clemson’s national relevance after missing the CFP four straight years. Schedule breakdown and win-loss projection Local analysts forecast a 10-2 regular season, projecting road trips to Notre Dame (Oct. 11) and Miami (Nov. 15) as the biggest hurdles. The State newspaper’s game-by-game model gives Clemson a 38 percent upset probability versus the Fighting Irish but an 82 percent chance to reclaim the Palmetto Trophy from South Carolina on Nov. 29. Recruiting momentum surging On the heels of July’s “All In Cookout,” Clemson vaulted to No. 5 nationally in the 2026 composite rankings after flipping four-star Florida quarterback Bryson Carter from Miami last week. Staffers tell recruits the program’s new $65 million football operations expansion, featuring an NFL-grade recovery suite and esports lounge, will open in December. Bottom line With a fortified offensive line, star-studded defensive interior and proven quarterback leadership, Clemson has the roster to end its playoff drought. Whether that narrative sticks will hinge on the national-spotlight opener against LSU — a game that could define the Tigers’ 2025 season before September even begins.