The 2020 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
2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 151st season of college football games in the United States. Organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision ...
. 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 12th full year. The Tigers competed as a member 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 ...
(ACC) and played their home games at
Memorial Stadium in
Clemson, South Carolina
Clemson () is a city in Pickens and Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is home to Clemson University; in 2015, ''the Princeton Review'' cited the town of Clemson as ranking #1 in the United States for " town-and-gown" ...
.
The season was played amidst the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The ACC settled on an eleven-game football schedule, with ten conference games with no divisions and one non-conference game. Clemson canceled their previously scheduled non-conference games against
Akron
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...
and
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, and kept their game against
The Citadel
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a Public college, public United States senior military college, senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one ...
. Precautions were taken to reduce the spread of the virus, including testing, isolation requirements, and limitations on the number of fans in attendance.
Clemson began the year ranked first in the preseason
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
, and handily won their first seven games of the season, including a 42–17 win over then-No. 9
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 ...
. Starting quarterback
Trevor Lawrence
William Trevor Lawrence (born October 6, 1999) is an American football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospects, he won the 2019 National C ...
tested positive for COVID-19 on October 29, and was forced to miss the team's next two games against
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
and temporary ACC member
Notre Dame. The team escaped with a close win against Boston College, but lost on the road to then-No. 4 Notre Dame in double overtime, 47–40. Clemson won the remainder of their regular season games, and earned a place in the
ACC Championship Game
The ACC Championship Game is an annual American college football game held in early December by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) each year to determine its football champion. From its inception in 2005 to 2022, the game pit the champion of ...
by finishing in second in the division-less format with an 8–1 record, behind Notre Dame. In the rematch against the Fighting Irish, this time with Lawrence at quarterback, the Tigers were victorious by a score of 34–10, to win their sixth consecutive ACC title. In the final
College Football Playoff rankings of the season, Clemson was ranked second, earning them a place in the national semi-final to be played at the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
against third-seeded
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
, a rematch of
the previous season's Fiesta Bowl. Clemson lost the rematch, 49–28, to end the season at 10–2 and ranked third in the final polls.
Junior quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the team on offense with 3,153 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns. He was named ACC Player of the Year and finished in second in voting for the
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
. The team's leading rusher was
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 ...
, who was named a
consensus All-American
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best college football players in the United States at their respective positions. The original use of the term ''All-America'' seems to have been to the 1889 College Football ...
all-purpose back.
Amari Rodgers
Amari Jai Rodgers (born September 23, 1999) is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third rou ...
was the team's leading receiver and was named first-team all-conference. On defense, the team featured two first-team all-conference members in lineman
Bryan Bresee
Bryan Bresee (; born October 6, 2001) is an American football defensive tackle for the Clemson Tigers. He was the 2020 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
High school career
Bresee played football at Urbana High School in Frederick, Maryland b ...
and cornerback
Derion Kendrick
Derion Rayshawn Kendrick (born August 24, 2000) is an American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and Georgia.
Early years
Kendrick attended South Pointe H ...
. Bresee was named the ACC Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Previous season
The
Tigers
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...
finished the
2019 season 14–1, and 8–0 in
ACC play. They won the ACC for the fifth consecutive season by beating
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
in the
ACC Championship game
The ACC Championship Game is an annual American college football game held in early December by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) each year to determine its football champion. From its inception in 2005 to 2022, the game pit the champion of ...
, 62–17. The Tigers were selected to the College Football Playoff as the third seed. In the semifinals, the Tigers defeated
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
29–23. They advanced to 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. ...
, where they were defeated by
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
42–25.
Offseason
Recruiting
Clemson's 2020 recruiting class consisted of 23 signees. The class was ranked as the best class in the
ACC
ACC most often refers to:
* Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US
*American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...
and the third best class overall according to the
247Sports
247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on athletic recruitment in college football and basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount.
The website hosts a large network of team-specific subsites, with each subsite b ...
Composite.
Offseason departures
NFL draftees
Undrafted free agents
Transfers
Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
Schedule
Clemson had games scheduled against
Akron
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...
and
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, which were both canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
[ This will be the first season since ]1908
Events
January
* January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica.
* January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...
that the Tigers do not play South Carolina.
The ACC released their schedule format on July 29, with specific dates selected at a later date. Specific game dates were released on August 6, 2020.
Rankings
Personnel
Coaching staff
Roster
Game summaries
at Wake Forest
Citadel
Virginia
Miami
at Georgia Tech
Syracuse
Boston College
at Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
at Virginia Tech
vs. Notre Dame
vs. Ohio State
Awards and honors
Players drafted into the NFL
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 ...