Note: The following appears in the South Carolina football gameday program.
I vividly remember the senior class of 1990 and what a big deal it was when that group reached 40 wins, Clemson’s first four-year class to reach that level and the first to total double-digit wins four consecutive years.
It was a different era, when teams played only 11 regular-season games and there were no playoff contests, rather just one bowl game. Teams never played more than 12 games unless the team played at Hawaii. That group finished with a 40-8 record, two ACC championships and four top-12 finishes in the AP poll. We regarded that class as the greatest in Tiger history to that point.
This year’s senior class is attempting to reach the 40-win mark today against rival South Carolina. Thanks to the success of Head Coach Dabo Swinney’s program, this group can become the 11th consecutive class to total 40+ wins.
This class has made a significant contribution to the heritage of Tiger history. A total of 33 student-athletes are putting on a Clemson jersey for the final time in Death Valley, but only 11 were originally on scholarship. So you would have to regard this as a young team.
All 11 have been starters at one time or another during their careers, led by 37 starts apiece by Barrett Carter and Aidan Swanson.
This year’s senior group includes Phil Mafah, a 1,000-yard rusher this year who is in the top 10 in school history in career rushing yards. Tight end Jake Briningstool is already Clemson’s career leader in receptions among tight ends, and there are other records within his grasp.
Barrett Carter has been among the most decorated linebackers in the nation this year in terms of his inclusion on various award lists. R.J. Mickens has played 57 career games and has been a leader of the secondary all season.
Swanson is in his sixth year with the program and is third in Clemson history in career punting average (42.6), trailing only former NFL punters Chris Gardocki (43.5) and Dale Hatcher (43.0).
Those are significant individual contributions, but as has always been the case with a Swinney class, you consider the greatness of a group based on team accomplishments. Here are some of the more significant ones.
• Holds a 39-12 record, the seventh-most wins in the nation.
• The 39 wins are the most among ACC teams.
• Won the 2022 ACC championship thanks to a 9-0 record against ACC teams, including the ACC Championship Game victory over North Carolina.
• Ranked in the AP top 25 for 41 polls, including 22 appearances in the top 10. Clemson had a streak of 21 consecutive AP top-25 rankings between 2021-23, the fifth-longest streak in Tiger history.
• Ranked in the top 25 of the CFP poll 15 times, including all four so far this year. The Tigers have been in the top 25 of the final CFP poll each of the last three years, extending Clemson’s streak to 13 consecutive years. That includes a No. 7 final ranking in 2022 that would have gotten Clemson in the playoff the way the current format exists. In fact, Clemson would have been the No. 3 seed with its ACC championship that year.
• Finished in the top 25 of the AP poll each year, extending Clemson’s streak to 13 consecutive seasons, the second-longest active streak in the nation and ninth longest all-time.
• Recorded seven wins over top-25 teams, with a chance at an eighth today against South Carolina.
• Continued Clemson’s record streak of 13 straight seasons with a postseason win with two bowl victories and an ACC Championship Game win.
Congratulations to this group and these players for what they have accomplished so far. There are still many possible accomplishments on the table.
