Since 2012, the Clemson Tigers have established themselves within the top echelon of college football. This emergence has been driven largely by the talents of offensive playmakers like Tahj Boyd, DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Deshaun Watson, and current star QB Trevor Lawrence just to name a few. But Dabo Swinney’s program hasn’t built itself as purely a point-scoring powerhouse, rather, they’ve consistently fielded some of the nation’s stingiest defenses.
Led by one of the deepest and most talented lines in the nation, the Tigers raised the CFP trophy in two of the past three seasons. Coordinator Brent Venables became of the sport's most well-known (and paid) assistants in the process, with both his boss and his players quick to credit him for the unit’s preparation.