Why Clemson should get more love in 2023, according to Jacob Hester
Clemson might not be getting enough love going into 2023 according to college football analyst Jacob Hester. The former LSU football player was baffled on Sirius XM on why Clemson, despite its ACC dominance, wasn’t expected to do more this year by most predictions.
The Tigers won seven of the last eight ACC titles and are one of the favorites to do so again. But everyone’s darling this year is Florida State for instance.
Hester tired to erase that narrative.
“If they show up to the club, they should be ‘Hey, VIP, let me open this rope for you right here in the back,’” Hester said on Sirius XM College Sports Radio. “Instead for some reason the guard is putting his hand up (and saying)l get to the back line. I’m like, wait a minute, hold up. What’s going on here? And it makes no sense to me because this is a team that last year they still won the ACC …
“2015 Clemson? 16? Clemson. 17? Clemson. 18? Clemson. 19? Yes, Clemson. 2020? Clemson. 2021, it was Pitt. Well, they gained their title back in 2022. It was Clemson yet again. So I just don’t know where this is coming from.”
Hester propped up Clemson but did not want to disrespect the rise of Florida State going into the fall.
“And it’s not to say that Florida State is not a good team,” Hester said. “But I’ve heard way too many people just assume that Florida State is going to take over the reins of the ACC where Clemson last year, they won the conference and it wasn’t close.
“They go and get Garrett Riley from the No. 2 team in the country, TCU, to be their offensive coordinator. Now, Cade Klubnik is unproven. There’s no doubt about that. But you have Will Shipley yet again to turn around and hand the ball off to and I think that he is going to be opened up in this new Garrett Riley offense by the way, and we’re going to find out from the first game.”
Clemson opens up the season on the road against Duke, which is no cakewalk according to Hester. That’s where his theory will be tested immediately.
“Make no mistake about it, you know that I think a lot of the Duke Blue Devils, that is going to be a road game for Clemson, they have got them standalone Monday night … we’re going to find out exactly where they’re at because that is a very good Duke football team,” Hester said.
“Then you get Charleston Southern and then you get FAU, both at home before you have Florida State, the No. 8 team in the country and they could be top five if they win the LSU game. They will be top five, so we’re gonna find out early on Clemson. But to me, they’re still VIP and they’re getting told to get in the back of the line and I don’t understand.”
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