2020 Clemson football positioned to be one of the best college football teams of all time

Clemson football has won a title and been a national runner-up over the past two seasons but the Tigers could be historically great in the 2020 season.

Dabo Swinney and Clemson football saw firsthand what one of the best college football teams of all time looks like. Matching up with Joe Burrow and LSU last season, a team that had a record-setting offense led by a record-setting quarterback and that earned a perfect record, Swinney’s group got a glimpse of what happens when dominance and perfection meet.

Clemson, of course, lost that game as Burrow and LSU completed their unblemished season at the expense of the other Tigers vying for the title. But now the 2020 season has arrived and, though both teams from last year’s title game are part of the conferences playing in the fall, it’s Swinney’s program with the opportunity to do something special.

The Tigers enter the 2020 college football season as the odds-on favorites to win the National Championship, which would’ve been the case even if the Big Ten and Pac-12 were playing. After all, Trevor Lawrence is back at quarterback and the roster around him is littered with 5-star talents and proven playmakers.

However crazy it might sound, though, Dabo’s boys shouldn’t be thinking about winning their second National Championship in three years and a third-straight trip to the title game. Rather, Clemson football should be thinking about etching their names in the annals of history as one of the best teams to ever take the field at this level.

All the pieces have lined up for Clemson football to be an all-time great in 2020.

As mentioned, the Tigers plight this season begins with the quarterback position and Lawrence. Not only did he enter the college ranks already being crowned as the next-big-thing but he’s lived up to it. He won the starting job over incumbent Kelly Bryant as a true freshman and then led Clemson to a title victory. Lawrence then followed that up with an uneven but still fantastic 2019 season in which his worst performance came at the worst time — against LSU.

It’s hard to say he wasn’t already but Trevor Lawrence is the heartbeat of Clemson football right now and, if they’re going to do something historical in the 2020 season, it starts with his performance. And by all accounts, he’s well aware of that — and there’s no denying he possesses the talent to do it.

Of course, the Tigers aren’t limited to an all-world quarterback, though that’s always a phenomenal place to start. Running back Travis Etienne’s decision to return gives Clemson an elite playmaker out of the backfield. Moreover, even though Tee Higgins left for the NFL and Justyn Ross is injured for the year, Joseph Ngata, Frank Ladson Jr., Amari Rodgers and tight end Braden Galloway are all gifted pass-catchers that can thrive with Lawrence.

When you think of the great Clemson football teams in recent years, though, defense has also been in focus. Though the 2020 team will be without Isaiah Simmons and A.J. Terrell, two playmakers for that group, the totality of that unit should be better than it was a year ago, more capable of at least slowing down another LSU or elite offense in a title race.

The secondary, despite departures, might be even more talented than it was a year ago. Furthermore, the linebacking corps should be solid. But where the Tigers could make a serious jump and consistently dominant opponents is in the trenches with their defensive line under the tutelage of proven great defensive coordinator, Brent Venables.

Tyler Davis was a breakout star for the defense last season and should be due for an even bigger outing this year, especially with the help around him. Nyles Pinckney is a veteran behemoth, Justin Foster has experience as well and K.J. Henry is another guy with immense upside as a younger player. And that’s without even mentioning freshman Bryan Bresee, an instant-impact newcomer that could be a game-changer alongside Davis.

Of course, talent only means so much but Clemson assuredly has the rest of the pieces of the puzzle in hand. Swinney is an elite motivator, Venables might be the best in the country in his ability to scheme and adapt, and even with Jeff Scott gone, Tony Elliott is ready to wholly take the reins.

When a team has this much talent to go with their coaching, especially when that group has a generational quarterback talent leading the way, something rarer could be in store. And that’s the way all the pieces are fitting into place for Clemson this year. The only question is if people will recognize it with the Big Ten and Pac-12 not playing this fall.

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