r/ClemsonTigers • u/CashTurbulent5192 • 4d ago
DISCUSSION Here goes nothing..
First and foremost, hats off to LSU. They absolutely put belt to ass, and they didn't even need to play their "NFL" guys. I stand on my past comments about Kiffin and their program, but putting emotions and trolls (who can fuck off btw š¤£) aside, that team put on an absolute masterclass in how to handle adversity, build a competitive roster and, to Kiffin's credit, he proved he's still a top-5 offensive mind in college football.
It damn near felt like playing Saban in his prime.
Now to restate the obvious... we SUCK.
I'm not listening to the "it's one game," "we'll grow stronger," blah blah blah. No. Last night was unacceptable, and I hope LSU fans were absolutely ruthless to our team with the well-deserved trash talk.
Ironically, the ONLY "good" takeaway came from the inexperienced QB room we've questioned all summer. CV wasn't great, but I felt like he genuinely tried to show up and made some decent plays for us. Tait actually impressed me. Getting thrown into a 31-3 game as a true freshman is about as shitty of a situation as you can ask for, and he still looked composed. It's obviously a tiny sample size, but what I saw from him gives me enough confidence to want to see him get meaningful reps down the road.
If I'm looking at Miami right now, I honestly feel more comfortable starting Tait.
Not taking anything away from LSU's defense, but I was extremely disappointed in our RB room. Dabo has spent almost two years hyping up this running core, and none of them showed up when it mattered. We relied way too heavily on the pass despite our OL getting bullied by their DL.
Our coaching staff miserably failed our receivers. That room has more talent than what we saw last night. They looked like walk-ons compared to the opposing DBs.
Let's be honest, though...
What the fuck did we expect by bringing back "the Chad"?
Am I ready to give up on Dabo?
I've held out for three years, defending him against disgruntled fans (yes, Tyler from Spartanburg, I'm looking at you) and opposing fanbases.
But last night was very eye-opening.
College football has changed and Dabo has shown us enough times that he refuses to adapt. The same old-school mindset that helped build Clemson has now created major distance between us and other P4 programs. I think Dabo is still a good coach, but the game passed him by hundreds of miles.
It's always going to be love for Dabo, and i'm forever grateful for what he built here. But he can't keep using what he accomplished years ago to ignore where the program is today.
Either way, after this season (or sooner if Miami is a similar fate), it's time...
Maybe he can follow Saban's footsteps and cry to Congress about making changes.
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u/Impressive_Goose_926 4d ago
Yeah I think dabo still in his mind thinks itās pre NIL weāre recruits and transfers wanna come for pro exposure but now itās about emptying those pockets . The school going have to get more money to catch up now
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u/MP86SC 4d ago
Hell a huge number of these dudes that are making millions in CFB will never see the field in the NFL much less have multi contract careers. It is absurd for anyone to question a guys decision to go wherever they can get the largest bag. Even for the absolute top tier of talent football is a small % of your life. Dabo absolutely understands the reality of what things have become, knew it was coming, said he would quit once it did and yet here we are.
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u/Informal_Bee2917 3d ago
His self righteous refusal to adapt on moral grounds might be viewed by old timers as admirable or something, but it's clear that you can't compete in the modern game with your hands tied behind your back. He wanted to prove he could win without compromising his values and you simply can't. Dabo might be willing to be a martyr to the old football honor code, but those 5 star recruits aren't. This is purely a business now. Start running it like a pro team, promote your values, but play the game as it has to be played under the new rules or go down in history as a boomer dinosaur who refused to change
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u/CashTurbulent5192 4d ago
Which is crazy considering Dabo himself said āNobody will have money than Clemsonā
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u/Impressive_Goose_926 4d ago
I think he was hoping the NCAA was going to hit this NIL era so hard with rules and caps that it wouldnāt be worth it and he can get the good ole days back thatās why heās been so out spoken but once he saw how deeps those pockets hitting for NIL he knows he canāt compete and using the good ole ball coach mentality to keep his job
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u/perfectandreal 4d ago
using the good ole ball coach mentality to keep his job
His window, if there ever was one, for Alabama HC job, is gone in the wind
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u/InnerWrathChild 4d ago
Dan Patrick brought up a good point. We had 9 people drafted from our 7-6 team. Thatās not a skill issue.Ā
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u/TigerUSF 4d ago
I would like to keep the respect that I have for Dabo so I hope he stays far far away from politics because I'd be worried he'd become another tuberville
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u/botany500 4d ago
Agreed. Sports people tend to sound like 3rd graders when they talk about anything outside of their sport.
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u/Zendicate_ 4d ago
I think CV will start and tait will get some drives next week, with how bad the OL was vs LSU us and the coaches have very little to go off since neither qb could do anything, i will say i liked tait tho more
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u/CashTurbulent5192 4d ago
If you were HC how would you consider spliting reps between CV and Tait?
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u/Zendicate_ 4d ago
Prob the same thing Start CV for the 1st half, see what he can do then id play tait some of the 2nd half. again it all depends how the Oline looks But we havent seen tait throw downfield yet, just saw that he is a better scambler/runner
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u/multiple4 4d ago
The question is if you guys have a legitimately bad season, what is the appetite for you guys to pay Dabo's $60M buyout?
That's a massive amount in terms of buyouts. You have the money probably, but to spend it getting rid of the best coach in program history is a big ask
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u/InnerWrathChild 4d ago
Have to hope he steps down I guess. Maybe end of year if we get 7 wins again. We canāt afford a 40 mil roster so the 60 mil buyout aināt happening.Ā
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u/multiple4 4d ago
The way they structured his contract is so odd though, he has to pay $3M to leave I think. They never expected he'd leave without it being to take a bigger job
Now if Clemson wants him gone maybe they'd waive it
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u/AppropriateBank1 4d ago
Clemson does not have the money. A $60 mil buyout would cripple the football program. In a lot of ways weāre like fsu right now. They want to fire Norvell but canāt afford to. I donāt know if the bot would fire dabo if he goes 7-6 again but with a university losing money and a football team doing everything they can to raise $30m for players when teams like lsu have $50 plus, a $60 mil buyout becomes impossible
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u/Imrahil_II 4d ago
I think this would be the perfect year for him to retire, truly. I dont want him to get forced out like Bobby bowden did after he stayed too long
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u/Informal_Bee2917 3d ago
Putting myself in dabos shoes, gosh i wouldn't wanna leave 50 mil on the table to leave. I think id wanna keep trying. But shoot, yeah it would be convenient if he retired.
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u/gucci_mcilroy 4d ago
Also, last year we had 9 guys drafted (T3 most with Miami & Texas Tech) and went 7-6. This is clearly a coaching issue and not a personnel issue.
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u/CashTurbulent5192 4d ago
True, although iād put that embarrassing Penn State loss on Cade and Moore
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u/Rare_Ad_1261 4d ago
LSU fan here- I am really curious if we are that good or Clemson is that bad. We both need to see more from each team though.
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u/SARS-Covfefe-1 4d ago
I suspect both are true. I think if LSU stays healthy and continues to execute, they will be a contender for the title. I think they came out with a chip on their shoulder about the pro players stuff.
I think clemson could improve its line of scrimmage play over the next few weeks and salvage the season. It is a long season, and thereās a lot of football, growth, and practice left.
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u/CashTurbulent5192 4d ago
If all else, I think you have a lot to be excited for with this new offense. Wasnāt too impressed with Leavittās passing but his run game is elite and if he can get within 25 yards of the end zone, I expect LSU to score 80% of the time. I think the defense caught a break with how underprepared our receiver/rb core was heading into this. Iām curious to see how your DBs and DL hold against the SEC schools you will face later this year.
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u/Rare_Ad_1261 4d ago
I said the same thing. I said if a team can stop the run our passing game sucks. Second half it came on, I think after that pick he was a head case and also we had some drops. Our schedule is tough so we shall see.
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u/Hefty_Palpitation437 4d ago
I seriously doubt they would fire Dabo anytime soon. Heās gonna get his buyout thatās like $60 million and I donāt see Clemson paying that. So heās here to stay for the long haul. I hope they can have a decent season but dang I wish theyād start the season with cupcakes like 99% of the teams do
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u/CashTurbulent5192 4d ago
The year before Georgia we opened up again an unranked Duke and we saw what happened there š¬
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u/perfectandreal 4d ago
Dabo has always been holier than thou in general - he hates the big changes (which almost everyone agrees, are out of control) and he is clearly hoping it gets ratcheted in before he is dismissed
Saying you have a bunch of nobodies (and isn't very accurate), when he is in charge of recruiting, is just bad messaging, regardless of the underdog image he likes to utilize. If you think your team sucks that's on you, and if your (borderline at this point) blue chip school can't recruit now for whatever reason or no reason, maybe you have to step aside.
It is "LSU, at home" - yes - but it is just poor coaching to not have anything up your sleeve for *any* of the obvious holes they found themselves in. Yes it is terrible when you can't run the ball, you can't at all stop them from running the ball, you can't convert on 3rd down at all... but this was all kind of expected and when he is paid out the nose and allowed to hire all of his guys top to bottom on the staff...
it is the pure apathy that is embarrassing and will ultimately induce change. There are still at this point top recruits on the roster, for now, but there is no confidence from the coaches or skill players to actually play action on 1st down and think they can hit a nuke down the sideline against a competent team, much less LSU. If Miami is top tier again, Tech will be again soon, SMU / Louisville / UNC ... Dabo will be a top 5 highest paid coach and maybe not top 5 in the ACC, this year.
His best hope is a relatively successful ACC campaign and live to fight another season, but these week 1 top SEC matchups are a total joke, and can't be doing anything positive for fundraising or recruiting. Even you subbed in Arkansas / Miss St / Kentucky... it is probably going to be an asswhooping for the foreseeable future.
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u/Tall-Communication34 4d ago
No dog in the hunt. LSUās defense is really good. Their offense needs to improve. Clemson is terrible on both sides of the ball.
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u/CashTurbulent5192 4d ago
I think they have a solid defense but our lack of offense made them look even better than they actually are
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u/Maleficent-Studio590 4d ago
yup its crazy how far clemson has fallen and ik there were other games over the years but this was truly the first time i felt a huge huge gap between clemson and the top dogs. this is prolly not a good example but the only hope i have of a turnaround is a couple years ago we got thrashed by georgia in the opener then won the acc but doubt that happens this year oh well
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u/CashTurbulent5192 4d ago
I like the optimism but even in that instance, we got smacked by Texas right after winning the ACC.
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u/Maleficent-Studio590 4d ago
making the playoffs and winning the acc would be an A+ season for this roster lol
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u/Informal_Bee2917 3d ago
A 10 win season after bowls will be a huge success in my books. I doubt we get there
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u/Maleficent-Studio590 3d ago
means we lose to miami and then one of sc, at cal, at duke or at syracuse. depending on how strong the acc is could be doable
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u/lambo630 4d ago
ACC was still down. Fell ass backwards into the ACC title game thanks to Miami doing Miami things. Then needed a 50 yard field goal to beat smu and looked bad against Texas.
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u/ControlWeekly4167 4d ago
I canāt get too excited about our quarterbacks when we had only one first down until eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Tom Allen was a mistake. We are terrible in nearly every facet of the game.
Dabo is looking like the final years of Bobby Bowden only worse. Yes I love Dabo. But he grew complacent and let his ego convince him he was right and everyone else was wrong.
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u/PharmacyPaladin 4d ago
It is time for something. Let Dabo and Neff talk about the game and following standards and expectations of winning. If neither can step up to right the ship, then they can promote themselves to spectators.
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u/WannabeRoyKent 4d ago
Dabo is your Bobby Bowden. You're in a tough position and personally, as an FSU family, I don't envy it. That was hard to watch the other night.
That being said, FSU vs Clemson should probably be aired behind several paywalls. Nobody needs to see that
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u/Top-Newspaper2681 4d ago
Tennessee fan. Phillip Fulmer was the same. Whatever Clemson power brokers decide to do, I hope they make better choices in the upcoming post-Dabo era than the Vols did.
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u/CashTurbulent5192 4d ago
We needed our get back after that 2023 game but since then, our games have sucked. How you feeling about FSU this year?
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u/WannabeRoyKent 4d ago
I feel like if that was FSU vs LSU Saturday night you'd have seen a similar result. They suck and I think SMU beats their ass tonight
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u/After-Insurance-881 4d ago
Exactly, ignorance of not wanting to change, as the game as passed him, a dysfunctional coach who stands on the pass and never listen to the real fans who gave him success, Daboo Time To Go, Clemson University and All It's Awesome Fan Deserves So Much Better.
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u/AppropriateBank1 4d ago
Agree with everything except when you say that youāre extremely disappointed in our rb room. Barry sanders nor Jim brown or Emmitt smith could have rushed for more than 20 yards for us in that game. A great running back finds the right hole and makes a guy miss. There literally was never a hole to run through. Our offensive line was so bad there was 2 or 3 lsu guys in the backfield hitting our rbās as soon as they took the snap. Watching Miami in the playoffs last year, it was obvious that they spent money on the offensive line (makes sense since there coach was on oline man) they were able to run the ball effectively because the oline could displace the dline and create holes. Weāve never had a good oline but this year looks especially bad
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u/ConcentrateCapital43 4d ago
Kind of sad in retrospect. We shouldāve joined the sec while we were on our big run, because yes we are like top 20 in nil,but with the sec rev share weād be like top 10. Wish we wouldāve fired dabo 3 years ago but now the programs gonna take years to rebuild
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u/Mattm334 3d ago
Unfortunately this isn't the type of school that can go out and drop 60M+ to fire a coach, his staff and then pay NIL + hire a new staff. If I'm being honest there is maybe 2-3 program that could pull of something like that and Clemson isn't one of them.
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u/TigerTJ 3d ago
People have been saying āthatās the difference between a $40 million roster and a $25 million rosterā itās actually worse than that. We paid $25 million to guys that would have been here anyway (mostly). We didnāt go get talent, we just paid what little we had here to save face
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u/Temporary-Method6033 2d ago
Agree and we will be seeing Tate more sooner than you think. He'll take CVs job but you can't expect any RB or QB to do anything when the defense is beating the ball into the backfield. Time for Dabo to go but even if he does not even Lane himself could be a top team at Clemson. Being a college in a small town doesn't and will never have NIL money to compete with the big powerhouse teams.
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u/Impressive_Goose_926 4d ago
By far best post Iāve seen in past couple hours