By: Charlie Lathan
The 2025 Orange and White Spring Game took place today in the friendly confines of Clemson’s Death Valley. This year’s iteration of the Spring game featured a brand new format pitting the Offense versus the Defense, rather than splitting the roster up into two squads for the customary scrimmage as in years past. The Offense scored points via touchdowns and field goals while the Defense was awarded points for the following:
- Takeway (or fourth-down stop): 3 points
- Missed placekick by offense: 3 points for missed FG, 1 point for missed PAT
- Stopped two-point conversion: 2 points
- Three-and-out: 1 point
- Standard defensive scoring: 7 points for defensive touchdown & PAT, 2 points for safety.
The new Spring Game format allowed for more intriguing intra squad matchups featuring first and second teamers going up against each other, providing a better glimpse of what this roster’s two deep will look like in 2026. As in years past, most of the first and second teamers were replaced with guys further down the depth chart as the second half wore on.
For a team aspiring to reach and make a run in the 2026 College Football Playoff, returning a starting quarterback the calibur of rising junior Cade Klubnik is a key piece to the puzzle. Although the spotlight was centered on Klubnik, the Spring Game afforded plenty of opportunities to showcase the talents of the guys waiting in the wings, and they did not disappoint.
Second teamer Christopher Vizzina looked sharp, both throwing and running the ball. He hit a number of contested passes all over the field and showed some real dual threat capability with his legs. He was also responsible for the longest play from scrimmage on the afternoon: a 72-yard touchdown toss to incoming portal transfer Tristan Smith.
The Clemson faithful in attendance were also treated to their first glimpses of true freshman dual threat signal caller Chris Denson. The moment did not seem to overwhelm the youngster as he showcased his ability to stretch the defense in multiple ways. He had several nice quarterback runs and dropped an absolute dime to Gideon Davidson on a jet sweep to the left sideline for a big gain.
Cade Klubnik had a solid day under center overall, however he was a bit slow out of the gate. His first drive stalled out at the defensive 40 yard line and a poorly thrown pass on the very first play of the game’s third series (Klubnik’s second series at quarterback) was picked off by Khalil Barnes in offensive territory. Although it wasn’t the start that Klubnik was hoping for, especially after a poor showing in last year’s Spring Game, he rebounded well and led the Offense on several nice scoring drives.
The wide receivers and running backs also had a good day at the office. Portal newcomer Tristan Smith led the way with 5 receptions for 137 yards along with a game high 72-yard touchdown reception. Several other receivers hauled in catches for big plays including a beautiful contested catch by Antonio Williams down the middle of the field for a big gain down to the 20-yard line, setting up an eventual field goal. The Tigers’ upward trajectory at receiver combined with Klubnik’s improved ability to get the ball to them should help the Tigers continue to generate more explosive plays in the upcoming 2026 season.
With the departure of Phil Mafah from the Tiger backfield after last season, the Spring Game was the first opportunity for the next guys up to introduce themselves to the Clemson fanbase. Redshirt freshman David Eziomume led all running backs with 69 yards on 11 attempts, including a 30-yard touchdown run, while true freshman Gideon Davidson did most of his damage catching passes out of the backfield. Although no one had any game breaking runs, the position group looks to have a solid foundation of contributors, particularly once Jay Haynes returns from injury.
Although the Offense won the day (and the scrimmage by a score of 33-15), the Defense still held up well and the tackling looked much crisper than with last years’s group. Jaheim Lawson tallied two of the Defense’s four sacks and they recorded three interceptions, all by different players: Khalil Barnes, Tyler Venables, and Joe Wilkinson. Redshirt freshman Darien Mayo stood out among the youngsters and former Bama linebacker Jeremiah Alexander notched 7 tackles of his own.
Punting still looks to be a work in progress, but the field goal unit was perfect on the day. Every team has its strengths and weaknesses, but if Clemson can get it’s punting situation shored up, it is hard to find too many deficiencies in the makeup of this current roster. The 2025 Spring Game certainly provided plenty of optimism for a team and fanbase itching to get back to the top of the College Football mountain.
