The start of the 2025 college football season is 79 days away — and 86 days until the Clemson Tigers host LSU in Death Valley at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30.

As we count down the days until then, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is holding his annual summer camp, offensive line coach Matt Luke is busy lighting things up on the recruiting trail with the 2026 signing class, and the Tigers have landed their first official commitment for 2027.

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All great news, but what about the 2025 season? Clemson has a stacked roster that is looking to build off a 10-win campaign that included an ACC championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff. The biggest concern the Tigers have is not at quarterback; not after Cade Klubnik’s meteoric rise in 2024 (3,639 passing yards, 36 TDs, six INTs).

It’s not at wide receiver, either. The Tigers have bonafide studs in senior Antonio Williams, plus young sensations Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore at the position. The defense is anchored up front by linemen T.J. Parker and Peter Woods, and Avieon Terrell shores things up in the secondary.

The consensus is that the Tigers’ biggest question mark heading into the 2025 season is at running back, where they’ll have to replace senior Phil Mafah.

On Thursday, CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford wrote about one area every team in his post-spring top 25 must address to be successful in 2025. For Clemson, it’s finding comfort in the run game. Crawford said:

“Find comfort in run game: Tabbed by a few to be college football’s top team this fall, Clemson is loaded on both sides with perhaps its best roster since Dabo Swinney’s last national championship team. That said, the Tigers are inexperienced in the backfield with freshman Gideon Davidson, third-year sophomore Jay Haynes and redshirt freshman David Eziomume expected to share the load at running back after Phil Mafah’s departure. This will be a pass-happy team with Cade Klubnik, but offensive coordinator Garrett Riley needs to be able to breathe easy in short-yardage situations, too.”

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Mafah rushed 216 times for 1,115 yards (5.2 AVG) and eight touchdowns a season ago. It’s the second straight year that Clemson will have to replace its starting tailback from the previous season after Mafah took over for the versatile Will Shipley after 2023.

Clemson and LSU will meet in prime time at 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 30. The game will be televised on ABC.

Clemson football schedule 2025

Sept. 13: at Georgia Tech

Oct. 11: at Boston College

Nov. 29: at South Carolina

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson football must address this issue to win in 2025, CBS says