The 2019 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney, in his 11th full year. The Tigers competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.
Entering the season as defending national champions, Clemson began the year ranked first in the polls. Despite securing another undefeated regular season and its fifth consecutive conference title after defeating Virginia in the ACC Championship Game, Clemson fell to third in the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season, owing to its comparatively weak strength of schedule. They were selected to the Fiesta Bowl to play second-seeded Ohio State, where the Tigers won by a score of 29–23. Clemson advanced to the National Championship Game, where they lost to LSU, 42–25, ending their winning streak at 29 games and finishing the season at 14–1.
Clemson was led by sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who led the ACC with 3,665 passing yards and 45 total touchdowns. Running back Travis Etienne was named ACC Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, leading the conference with 19 rushing touchdowns and 7.8 yards per carry, and finishing in second with 1,614 rushing yards. Offensive lineman John Simpson was named a consensus All-American, and he was joined on the first-team All-ACC by Lawrence, Etienne, wide receiver Tee Higgins, and offensive lineman Tremayne Anchrum. On defense, the team was led by All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year linebacker Isaiah Simmons. He was joined on the first-team All-ACC by cornerback A. J. Terrell and safety Tanner Muse.
Offseason
Recruiting Clemson's 2019 recruiting class consisted of 29 signees, including 17 that enrolled early and one that grayshirted. The class was ranked as the best class in the ACC and the 10th best class overall according to the 247Sports Composite.
Offseason departures
NFL draftees
Clelin Ferrell 1 4 Oakland Raiders DE Christian Wilkins 1 13 Miami Dolphins DT Dexter Lawrence 1 17 New York Giants DT Trayvon Mullen 2 40 Oakland Raiders CB Austin Bryant 4 117 Detroit Lions DE Hunter Renfrow 5 149 Oakland Raiders WR
Undrafted Free Agents
Tre Lamar Detroit Lions LB Trevion Thompson Los Angeles Chargers WR Albert Huggins Houston Texans DT Mark Fields Kansas City Chiefs CB
Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown College transferred to Source(s) Tavien Feaster 28 RB 5'11" 215 Senior Spartanburg, SC South Carolina Richard Yeargin 49 DT 6'5" 260 Junior Lauderdale Lakes, FL Boston College Shaq Smith 5 LB 6'2" 255 Junior Baltimore, MD Maryland Kyler McMichael 2 CB 6'0" 200 Sophomore Norcross, GA North Carolina
Preseason
Award watch lists Listed in the order that they were released Lott TrophyIsaiah SimmonsLBJRMaxwell Award Travis Etienne RB JR Trevor Lawrence QB SO Justyn Ross WR SOBednarik AwardIsaiah SimmonsLBJR Davey O'Brien Award Trevor Lawrence QB SO Doak Walker Award Travis Etienne RB JRBiletnikoff Award Justyn Ross WR SO Tee Higgins WR JRButkus AwardIsaiah SimmonsLBJR Rimington Trophy Sean Pollard OL SROutland TrophyTremayne AnchrumOLSRBronko Nagurski TrophyIsaiah Simmons LBJRDodd Trophy Dabo Swinney HC –Wuerffel TrophySean PollardOLSRWalter Camp AwardTravis Etienne RBJRTrevor Lawrence QBSOXavier ThomasDESO
ACC Media Days The ACC media poll was released on July 22, 2019. Clemson was the consensus pick to repeat once again as ACC champion, receiving 171 votes to win the Atlantic Division and 170 votes to win the conference championship.
Schedule Clemson announced its 2019 football schedule on January 16, 2019. The 2019 schedule consisted of seven home games and five away games in the regular season. The Tigers hosted ACC foes Georgia Tech, Florida State, Boston College, and Wake Forest and will travel to Syracuse, North Carolina, Louisville and NC State.
The Tigers hosted three of their four non-conference opponents, those being Texas A&M from the SEC, Charlotte from Conference USA and Wofford from the FCS' Southern Conference, and traveled to South Carolina from the SEC.
Personnel
Coaching staff +Clemson Tigers football current coaching staffDabo Swinney Head coach University of Alabama (1993) 12thDanny Pearman Assistant head coach, Special Teams Coordinator, Tight Ends Clemson University (1987) 10thJeff Scott Co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coachClemson University (2003) 4thBrent Venables Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Kansas State University (1992) 7thMichael Reed Defensive backs Coach Boston College (1994) 6thTodd Bates Assistant coach, Defensive tackles University of Alabama (2004) 2ndTony Elliott Co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach Clemson University (2002) 4thRobbie Caldwell Assistant coach, Offensive Linemen Furman University (1977) 8thBrandon Streeter Assistant coach, Recruiting Coordinator, Quarterbacks Clemson University (1999) 5thMike Reed Assistant coach, Cornerbacks Boston College (1994) 6thMickey Conn Assistant coach, Safeties University of Alabama (1995) 4thLemanski Hall Assistant coach, Defensive Ends University of Alabama (1993) 2nd
Roster 2019 Clemson Tigers FootballQuarterback 7 Chase Brice – sophomore (6'2, 220) 11 Taisun Phommachanh – freshman (6'4, 210) 12 Ben Batson – freshman (6'0, 200) 15 Patrick McClure – sophomore (6'1, 195) 16 Trevor Lawrence – sophomore (6'6, 215)
Running back 9 Travis Etienne – junior (5'10, 200) 19 Michel Dukes – freshman (5'11, 190) 21 Darien Rencher – junior (5'8, 195) 23 Lyn-J Dixon – sophomore (5'10, 195) 27 Chez Mellusi – freshman (6'0, 175) 33 Ty Lucas – freshman (5'7, 205)
Wide receiver 2 Frank Ladson Jr. – freshman (6'4, 190) 3 Amari Rodgers – junior (5'10, 215) 5 Tee Higgins – junior (6'4, 210) 8 Justyn Ross – sophomore (6'4, 210) 10 Joseph Ngata – freshman (6'4, 215) 13 Brannon Specter – freshman (6'1, 190) 14 Diondre Overton – senior (6'4, 210) 17 Cornell Powell – junior (6'0, 210) 18 T.J. Chase – junior (6'0, 190) 22 Will Swinney – junior (5'8, 185) 29 Hampton Earle – freshman (5'11, 185) 45 Josh Jackson – junior (6'0, 195) 81 Drew Swinney – freshman (5'8, 180) 86 Will Brown – sophomore (5'8, 185) 86 Tye Herbstreit – freshman (6'0, 175) 87 Hamp Greene – freshman (5'10, 165) 89 Max May – freshman (6'1, 195)
Tight end 25 J.C. Chalk – junior (6'3, 260) 44 Garrett Williams – Graduate (6'2, 235) 80 Luke Price – sophomore (6'2, 220) 84 Davis Allen – freshman (6'5, 220) 85 Jaelyn Lay – freshman (6'5, 250) 87 J.L Banks – senior (6'1, 240) 88 Braden Galloway – sophomore (6'4, 240)
Placekicker 29 B. T. Potter – sophomore (5'10, 175) 41 Jonathan Weitz – freshman (6'0, 175) Offensive lineman 50 Kaleb Boateng – OL – freshman (6'5, 305) 54 Mason Trotter – OL – freshman (6'3, 270) 55 Hunter Rayburn – OL – freshman (6'4, 310) 56 Will Putnam – OL – freshman (6'4, 290) 59 Gage Cervenka – OL – Graduate (6'3, 325) 62 Cade Stewart – OL – junior (6'3, 310) 65 Matt Bockhorst – OG – sophomore (6'4, 310) 69 Marquis Sease – OL – sophomore (5'11, 275) 71 Jordan McFadden – OT – freshman (6'3, 300) 72 Blake Vinson – OT – sophomore (6'4, 285) 73 Tremayne Anchrum – OT – senior (6'2, 310) 74 John Simpson – OG – senior (6'4, 330) 76 Sean Pollard – OL – senior (6'5, 315) 78 Chandler Reeves – OT – junior (6'6, 295) 79 Jackson Carman – OL – sophomore (6'5, 345)
Defensive lineman 3 Xavier Thomas – DE – sophomore (6'2, 260) 5 KJ Henry – DE – freshman (6'4, 240) 7 Justin Mascoll – DE – freshman (6'4, 255) 13 Tyler Davis – DL – freshman (6'1, 290) 22 Xavier Kelly – DL – junior (6'4, 270) 32 Etinosa Reuben – DL – freshman (6'4, 280) 33 Ruke Orhorhoro – DL – freshman (6'5, 275) 35 Justin Foster – DE – junior (6'2, 260) 44 Nyles Pinckney – DT – Graduate (6'1, 300) 52 Tayquon Johnson – DL – freshman (6'3, 290) 54 Logan Rudolph – DE – sophomore (6'2, 245) 59 Jordan Williams – DT – sophomore (6'4, 310) 89 Tristan Walker – DE – junior (6'3, 225) 90 Darnell Jefferies – DT – freshman (6'2, 275) 91 Nick Eddis – DL – sophomore (6'2, 250) 92 Klayton Randolph – DE – freshman (6'2, 230) 94 Jacob Edwards – DE – sophomore (6'2, 285) 95 James Edwards – DT – sophomore (6'2, 285) 98 Logan Cash – DL – freshman (6'3, 255)
Punter 39 Aidan Swanson – freshman (6'3, 170) 48 Will Spiers – junior (6'5, 220) 98 Steven Sawicki – senior (6'3, 240) Linebacker 6 Mike Jones Jr. – freshman (6'0, 230) 10 Baylon Spector – sophomore (6'1, 230) 11 Isaiah Simmons – junior (6'4, 225) 15 Jake Venables – freshman (6'1, 225) 17 Kane Patterson – freshman (6'2, 225) 21 Bryton Constantin – freshman (6'2, 220) 30 Keith Maguire – freshman (6'2, 215) 40 Greg Williams – freshman (6'4, 235) 42 LaVonta Bradley – freshman (6'1, 215) 43 Chad Smith – Graduate (6'3, 240) 45 Matt McMahan – freshman (6'1, 205) 46 John Boyd – sophomore (6'0, 215) 47 James Skalski – junior (6'0, 245) 48 Landon Holden – sophomore (6'1, 240) 49 Matt Maloney – freshman (6'0, 190) 53 Regan Upshaw – junior (5'11, 235)
Defensive back 1 Derion Kendrick – CB/WR – sophomore (6'0, 180) 8 A. J. Terrell – CB – junior (6'2, 190) 9 Brian Dawkins Jr. – CB – junior (5'7, 170) 12 K'Von Wallace – S – senior (5'11, 210) 14 Denzel Johnson – S – senior (6'0, 205) 16 Ray Thornton III – DB – freshman (6'2, 205) 18 Joseph Charleston – DB – freshman (6'2, 190) 19 Tanner Muse – S – Graduate (6'1, 230) 20 LeAnthony Williams Jr. – CB – sophomore (5'11, 180) 23 Andrew Booth Jr. – DB – freshman (6'1, 180) 24 Nolan Turner – S – junior (6'1, 190) 25 Jalyn Phillips – DB – freshman (6'1, 185) 26 Jack McCall – CB – sophomore (5'11, 180) 26 Sheridan Jones – DB – freshman (6'1, 175) 27 Carson Donnelly – S – freshman (5'10, 180) 29 Michael Becker – S – freshman (6'1, 185) 31 Mario Goodrich – CB – sophomore (6'0, 195) 36 Landen Zanders – DB – freshman (6'1, 190) 37 Jake Herbstreit – DB – freshman (6'0, 175) 38 Elijah Turner – S – junior (5'11, 190) 47 Peter Cote – S – sophomore (5'9, 180)
Long snappers 46 Jack Maddox – sophomore (6'3, 220) 52 Tyler Brown – junior (6'0, 215) 58 Patrick Phibbs – senior (6'2, 210)
Source:
Depth chart
Rankings
Game summaries
Georgia Tech
Texas A&M
At Syracuse
Charlotte
At North Carolina
Florida State
At Louisville
Boston College
Wofford
At NC State
Wake Forest
At South Carolina
ACC Championship Game
vs. Ohio State (Fiesta Bowl – CFP Semifinal Game)
vs. LSU (CFP National Championship)
Awards and honors
Weekly Awards Isaiah Simmons Walter Camp Player of the Week September 15, 2019
Individual Awards Travis Etienne RB ACC Player of the Year ACC Offensive Player of the Year Isaiah Simmons LB ACC Defensive Player of the Year Butkus Award
All-American Isaiah Simmons 1 1 1 1 1 Unanimous Travis Etienne 2 2 2 2 2 John Simpson 2 1 1 1 1 Consensus The NCAA recognizes a selection to all five of the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN and WCFF first teams for unanimous selections and three of five for consensus selections. HM = Honorable mention. Source:
All-ACC Trevor Lawrence QB First Team Travis Etienne RB Tee Higgins WR Tremayne Anchrum OT John Simpson OG Isaiah Simmons LB A. J. Terrell CB Tanner Muse S Gage Cervenka OG Second Team Sean Pollard C Tyler Davis DT Derion Kendrick CB Jackson Carman OT Third Team Xavier Thomas DE Nyles Pinckney DT K'Von Wallace S Justyn Ross WR HM Amari Rodgers WR & AP Justin Foster DE HM = Honorable mention. Source:
Postseason
2020 NFL draft
The 2020 NFL draft will be held on April 23–25, 2020 in Paradise, Nevada.
Tigers who were picked in the 2020 NFL Draft: 1 8 Isaiah Simmons OLB Arizona Cardinals 1 16 A. J. Terrell CB Atlanta Falcons 2 33 Tee Higgins WR Cincinnati Bengals 3 100 Tanner Muse S Las Vegas Raiders 4 109 John Simpson OG Las Vegas Raiders 4 127 K'Von Wallace S Philadelphia Eagles 7 250 Tremayne Anchrum OG Los Angeles Rams
Undrafted free agents
References