Five things that are on the Clemson Tigers wish list

The Clemson Tigers football program has undergone a lot of changes in recent weeks.

A lot.

Dabo Swinney has lost several coaches from his staff, including longtime coordinators Brent Venables and Tony Elliott. They’ve also seen four commits depart from their 2022 class in the past three weeks.

Taking all these losses into account, Clemson is hoping to collect some wins on and off the gridiron.

In the spirit of the holidays, here are five things that should be on the Tigers’ wish list.

1. A win in the Cheez-It Bowl

A win against Iowa State this upcoming Wednesday would be crucial for Clemson.

The primary reason why is the streak they would extend if they came out victorious. In each of the previous 10 seasons, the Tigers have won double digit games.

Prior to that winning streak starting in 2011, they had seven such seasons in the program’s extensive history. Improving it to 11 straight years with 10-plus wins would be yet another example of the powerhouse that Swinney has built at Clemson.

Also, to win 10 games under these circumstances can serve as a great pitch to recruits. Clemson has dealt with injuries, inconsistent play on offense and, most recently, coaching changes; ending the season with just three losses is an ideal finish when factoring in these obstacles.

Examples of other schools with down years in 2021 are Florida and LSU. The Gators finished the season with a 6-7 record, while the Tigers currently sit at 6-6.

With a win, Clemson’s “down year” would be 10-3, with one of those losses being to the third-ranked team in the country and the others being to top-20 opponents.

2. Commitment from Trevor Etienne

Speaking of Florida and LSU, those two programs are Dabo Swinney’s staff’s top competition for 2022 prospect Trevor Etienne.

Etienne is Clemson’s only running back target left in this recruiting cycle. They are indeed keeping tabs on a few other players at the position, but Etienne is their primary focus right now.

Etienne, the No. 23 RB in the On3 Consensus Rankings, isn’t necessarily a huge need for the program. After all, their current trio of running backs —Kobe Pace, Phil Mafah and Will Shipley — is one of the best in the country.

Adding Etienne would, however, be beneficial in terms of getting this 2022 class back on track. Losing commitments from four defenders who are regarded as top-100 recruits were tough hits for Clemson in December; landing Etienne would be a good way for them to bounce back from those losses.

Despite their recent coaching change, the Gators appear to be the ones in the best spot to land Etienne. The Jennings (Louisiana) prospect is slated to announce his decision on Jan. 8, 2022.

3. Good outings by Goodwin and Streeter against Iowa State

Clemson’s coaching staff has experienced significant changes since the beginning of the month. They’ve lost Brent Venables, Tony Elliott, and several other staff members in December.

Their replacements? To the objection of some, the Tigers went with in-house hires to replace these talented coaches.

The program promoted defensive analyst Wesley Goodwin to both linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. Clemson also promoted Brandon Streeter to offensive coordinator, with Kyle Richardson being elevated to tight ends coach.

On Wednesday, all eyes will be on Streeter and Goodwin.

It won’t be fair to assess them on just one game in new roles that they had less than three weeks of preparation for; for fans, however, this will be a glimpse into what they can expect in 2022 and beyond.

For Dabo Swinney, it will also be an opportunity for him to be validated by his decisions.

If Clemson puts up 45 points and has a healthy balance on offense and run some innovative plays, the decision to replace Elliott with Streeter will seem brilliant.

If the Tigers hold Iowa State to 10 or 13 points and the defense is firing on all cylinders, many questions that people had about the previously unknown Goodwin would be answered.

These two people represent Clemson’s present and future. A solid outing by them in their first opportunity on a big stage would give fans reason for optimism going forward.

4. K.J. Henry returning for one more year

K.J. Henry is one of the Tigers’ best defensive linemen.

In his 2021 campaign, Henry has recorded 18 total tackles, 11 of which were solo. He also has 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble in 12 games played for Clemson.

Keeping their 6-foot-4, 260-pound pass rusher on the roster in 2022 would be a decision welcomed by Clemson’s coaching staff and fans alike.

For one, Xavier Thomas leaving after this season will be a tough loss for the Tigers. Having Henry there next year to fill that role of the experienced veteran would make the loss of Thomas just a little bit easier.

Also, the Tigers currently have no defensive linemen committed in this class. They did recently offer d-end Jahiem Lawson, but he would have to put on 15-20 more pounds before he’s ready to take the field at the next level.

If he returns, then Henry would be a much-needed veteran presence along the d-line and a disruptive pass rusher opposite of Myles Murphy.

5. Jumpstarting their 2023 class

Besides finishing off this cycle on a good note, Clemson would ideally like to get things going in the 2023 class soon.

At this time, their only commitment from a junior prospect is four-star wideout Nathaniel Joseph. Joseph committed back in September, but no other prospects have joined forces with the Tigers since then.

Some may say it’s too early to worry about 2023 recruits, but there are plenty of schools that are off to a fast start. Georgia, Notre Dame, and Penn State already have five or more commits, while half of USC’s four pledges are five-star prospects.

Clemson is not the type of program to push for players to commit earlier than they want to. Their goal is to establish relationships and get to know their families so that when a recruit commits, both sides know that they are locked in.

I’m also not saying their next pledge needs to be an Arch Manning or L.T. Overton. Either of them committing in the next few weeks does not appear to be likely.

But could an in-state prospect like Monroe Freeling opt to wrap up his recruitment early? What about Alabama-based target Peter Woods, who visited twice this season?

Getting a prospect of their caliber on board soon to bolster the 2023 class would be massive for the Tigers.