Joel Klatt Issues Harsh Reality Check For Clemson Tigers

College football is entering a new era with an expanded playoff and conference realignment, but it’s been changing long before the 2024 season. NIL and the transfer portal have offered more mobility to college football’s greatest players so long as there’s a coach to take them.

One coach who’s been reluctant to find talent in the transfer portal is Dabo Swinney. Outside of Nick Saban, he’s had the most dominant stretch in college football in the 21st century, finding himself ranked #1 in the AP poll at some point in the season for six straight years.

However, Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt delivered a harsh reality check for Swinney and the Clemson Tigers as we start to see the impact of solely building talent in-house.

“Have they been passed? And the answer is ‘yes’, yes they have,” Klatt said on " The Joel Klatt Show." “That’s the natural evolution of the sport, we should have expected it, and it’s time we start to look at this season for what it is, which is clearly a Florida State/Miami look toward that ACC Championship game.”

Klatt explained what the Seminoles and Hurricanes have done to leap past the Tigers.

“Florida State and Miami have adapted. They’ve invested in the right areas and now they are playing with modernity. They’ve modernized and Clemson hasn’t, and they’re going to pass them and have, and I think that’s going to be evident this year,” Klatt said.

Clemson and Swinney have the chance to flip the narrative coming in as the ACC’s second-highest-ranked team in the preseason AP poll at No. 14 overall. Even though Klatt doesn’t believe they’ll live up to that standard, their defense is expected to have an edge once again. If quarterback Cade Klubnik can find his rhythm this season, Swinney could be one of the 2024 season’s biggest surprises.

Related: Joel Klatt Names Dark Horse Program He’d Love To See In College Football Playoff