73
Playing on a
defensive line that
included three
first-round picks,
X AVIER THOMAS was
a bit overlooked
last year. That
should change.
The No. 1–ranked
defensive end in
the 2018 class,
Thomas has size
(6' 2", 260 pounds)
as well as speed.
During his senior
year of high school,
the South Carolina
native ran a
4.42-second
40-yard dash,
faster than all
but one defensive
lineman at the 2019
NFL combine. In a
rotating role in ’18,
Thomas finished as
a near unanimous
freshman
All-America with
31/2 sacks and
43 tackles. He got a
boost in production
with teams
concentrating
on the four NFL
products around
him. He won’t have
that luxury this
season.
X-FACTOR
THE BIG STORY How do you
top a dream season?
Clemson will try to become the
first back-to-back champion
from outside of Tuscaloosa since
Nebraska repeated 25 years
ago. The Tigers will feel both
familiar and new: They’re loaded
offensively, with their standouts
at the skill positions—quarterback
Trevor Lawrence, wide receiver
Justyn Ross, and running back
TR AVIS E TIENNE—all back. But on the
other side of the ball, the dominant
D-line is gone, which means that
the offense will need to pick up
the slack if there’s a defensive
drop-off.
CAN’ T MISS Etienne averaged
a TD about every eight
carries last season—the best rate
for a starting tailback in college
football in six years. The explosive
junior carried the ball more than
20 times in a game just twice last
season, but with his top backups
gone, Etienne should see his
workload—and his trips to the
end zone—increase.
KEY QUESTION How dominant
will the defense be with
their defensive line and their top
linebackers from last year gone?
The defense is short on experience
but still talented: Three redshirt
freshmen—ends K.J. Henry and
Justin Mascoll and linebacker
Mike Jones Jr.—could be stars
by season’s end.
KEY MATCHUP
BIGGEST GAME
SI RANKING
AUG. 29
GEORGIA TECH
SEPT. 7
TEXAS A&M (13)
SEPT. 14
@ SYRACUSE
SEPT. 21
CHARLOTTE
SEPT. 28
@ NORTH CAROLINA
OCT. 12
FLORIDA STATE
OCT. 19
@ LOUISVILLE
OCT. 26
BOSTON COLLEGE
NOV. 2
WOFFORD
NOV. 9
@ N.C. STATE
NOV. 16
WAKE FOREST
NOV. 30
@ SOUTH CAROLINA
THE RUNDOWN
3
6
9
12
15
14
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WINS
Even if he won’t admit it,
Dabo Swinney has built
Alabama East—and in April
that got him the biggest
contract in NCA A history
(10 years, $92 million). For
that kind of money, it’s title
YEAR 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* or bust for Clemson.
*SI PROJECTION
5 -YEAR TREND
11.5
Back-to-back
September matchups
against Texas A&M and Syracuse
will be tricky, but there’s a huge
talent gap between the Tigers and
the rest of the ACC. There’s no
room for error to get to 12 wins,
but the Tigers will run the table.
2019
SCHEDULE
Clemson
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