The 2017 Clemson Tigers football team represented

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

during the

2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2017. The regular season began on August 26, 2017, and end ...

. The Tigers were led by head coach

Dabo Swinney William Christopher "Dabo" Swinney (; born November 20, 1969) is an American football coach, currently serving as the head coach at Clemson University. Swinney took over midway through the 2008 season, following the resignation of Tommy Bowden. S ...

in his ninth full year and tenth overall since taking over midway through 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, also known as "Death Valley", and competed in the Atlantic Division of the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

. Clemson won the ACC for the third consecutive season by beating

Miami (FL) Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

in the ACC Championship game, 38–3. They received their third straight bid to the

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...

, earning the number one seed. The Tigers fell to eventual national champion

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

in the semifinal game played at the Sugar Bowl, 6–24.

Previous season

The Tigers entered the 2017 season as defending national champions, having finished the 2016 season 14–1 with a 35–31 win over Alabama in the

CFP National Championship game The College Football Playoff National Championship is a post-season college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which began play in the 2014 college football season. ...

Personnel

Coaching staff

Head coach

added one new addition to the Tigers' coaching staff in January 2017, Todd Bates who was the defensive line coach at

Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University (JSU) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's degree, bachelor's, master's degree, master's, educati ...

was hired after losing Dan Brooks to retirement and

Marion Hobby Marion Hobby (born November 7, 1966 in Irondale, Alabama) is an American football coach who is the defensive line coach for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). Playing career Hobby played college football at the Un ...

signing with the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

. Mickey Conn was promoted from defensive analyst to co-defensive back coach.

Schedule

Clemson announced their schedule for the 2017 season on January 24, 2017. The Tigers' schedule consisted of 7 home games and 5 away games. Clemson hosted conference opponents Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest, and traveled to Louisville, NC State, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech. The Tigers hosted out of conference games against Kent State, Auburn, and The Citadel, and traveled to arch rival South Carolina to close out the regular season. Clemson's out of conference opponents represented the MAC,

SoCon The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly kn ...

, and SEC. The Tigers played 10 total teams who played in the postseason in the 2016 season: 2

New Year's Six The New Year's Six, sometimes abbreviated as NY6, is an unofficial but commonly used term used to describe the following NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) bowl games: the Rose Bowl Game, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bo ...

participants (Auburn and Florida State), 7 other bowl teams (Boston College, Georgia Tech, Louisville, NC State, South Carolina, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech), and 1 FCS playoff participant (Citadel).

Rankings

Roster

Source:

Recruiting class

Transfers

Clemson lost 6 players due to transfer,

Running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

Tyshon Dye,

Offensive Line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

men Jake Fruhmorgen,

Cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Adrian Baker,

Defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

Scott Pagano,

Safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

Korrin Wiggins and

Defensive End Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

LaSamuel Davis all announced they would transfer from the program.

Game summaries

Kent State

Auburn

at Louisville

Boston College

at Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

at Syracuse

Georgia Tech

at North Carolina State

Florida State

The Citadel

at South Carolina

vs Miami (FL) – ACC Championship Game

CFP Playoff

Alabama – Sugar Bowl

}

Awards and honors

Individual awards

Broyles Award The Broyles Award is an annual award given to honor the best assistant coach in college football. First awarded in 1996, it was named after former University of Arkansas men's athletic director Frank Broyles. The award is presented in Little R ...

– Tony Elliot

All Americans

Clelin Ferrell Clelin Ferrell (born May 17, 1997) is an American football defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson, and was drafted by the Raiders in the first round of the 2019 NFL D ...

– AP 1st team, FWAA 2nd team *

Mitch Hyatt Mitch Hyatt (born February 6, 1997) is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Clemson. Early years A native of Sugar Hill, Georgia, Hyatt attended North Gwinnett High School, where ...

– AP 2nd team, FWAA 2nd team, Walter Camp 2nd team *

Christian Wilkins Christian Wilkins (born December 20, 1995) is an American football defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Dolphins in the first round of the 2019 NF ...

– AP 2nd team, Walter Camp 2nd team *

Dorian O'Daniel Dorian O'Daniel (born September 4, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Clemson Tigers football, Clemson. Professional career O'Daniel attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and ...

– AP 2nd team *Tyrone Crowder – AP 3rd team * Austin Bryant – AP 3rd team, FWAA 1st team, Walter Camp 2nd team

All-ACC Teams

1st Team

, Tackle
Justin Falcinelli, Center
Tyrone Crowder, Guard

, Defensive End

, Defensive Tackle

Dexter Lawrence Dexter Lawrence II (born November 12, 1997), nicknamed "Sexy Dexy", is an American football nose tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson. In 2015, he concluded his high schoo ...

, Defensive Tackle 2nd Team Austin Bryant, Defensive End

, Linebacker 3rd Team

Travis Etienne Travis Etienne Jr. (born January 26, 1999) is an American football running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was selected by the Jaguars in the first round of the ...

, Running Back

Hunter Renfrow James Hunter Renfrow (born December 21, 1995) is an American football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Raiders in the fifth round of t ...

, Wide Receiver

Deon Cain Deon Cain (born August 9, 1996) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Clemson. Early years Cain attended Tampa Bay Technical High School in Tampa, Florida. He played quarterback for the high ...

, Wide Receiver
Taylor Hearn, Guard
Kendall Joseph, Linebacker

2018 NFL Draft

Undrafted Free Agents

References

{{Atlantic Coast Conference football champions Clemson Clemson Tigers football seasons Atlantic Coast Conference football champion seasons

Clemson Tigers football The Clemson Tigers are the American football team at Clemson University. The Tigers compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic C ...