Sports Business publication Front Office Sports has named Clemson one of seven of the nation’s “Best College Athletic Departments” in its inaugural award year. According to frontofficesports.com, “the award recognizes the athletic departments that, regardless of school size or resources, is a model to the rest of the collegiate athletic sector for how to innovate.”
Sports Innovation Lab, which powers the awards and reviews nominees, worked to identify how Athletic Departments view key collegiate athletics initiatives and activities that address the specific challenges of scholastic sports in the modern age. Clemson joins Oregon, Oklahoma, USF, Fairfield, ODU, and Wake Forest in the 2024 list, and the full release is available on frontofficesports.com.
Factors considered for this award included: Student Fan Opportunities, Student-Athlete Support, Mental Health Support, Training and Competition Facilities, Novel Technology Integration, Gameday Experience, and Name, Image and Likeness Support.
Clemson is led by Director of Athletics Graham Neff, who has overseen significant growth and investment in the areas above. Largely supported by IPTAY, the nation’s oldest fundraising organization, the department is considered among the nation’s leaders in mental health and wellness and facilities.
“It is a tremendous compliment to be considered for this honor, and it is really a ‘team’ award,” said Neff. “There are so many incredibly talented people who pour into Clemson who make this a special place to be. This is a reflection of the alignment of our University leadership, IPTAY, and so many other areas that come together to create a world-class experience for our student-athletes, fans and students.”
Clemson opened its state-of-the-art lakefront Athlete Recovery Center in March, and is close to completion on a 50,000-square-foot Watt Family Performance and Wellness Center, which will give a new home to sports medicine, sports science, strength and conditioning, nutrition and more. Clemson’s 100 Yards of Wellness and Brook T. Smith Sports Science labs are also fully operational in the Reeves Complex
Clemson welcomed more than 1 million fans to its home events in 2023-24, which also included the inaugural season of Gymnastics and the second season of the lacrosse program. Clemson has added four women’s sports since 2012 (women’s golf, softball), and continues to have facilities among the best in the nation.
The Tigers have opened new day-to-day homes of Basketball, Baseball, Football, Tennis, Soccer, Volleyball, Softball, Lacrosse and Gymnastics within the past decade.
In 2023-24, Clemson advanced to Elite Eights or better in four sports for the first time since 1979-80, including its fourth national championship in men’s soccer, and was one of only two schools in the nation to advance to the Sweet 16 in men’s basketball, win a bowl game in football, and win a baseball regional championship.
Neff also recently announced the formation of Clemson Ventures, an independent entity focused on generating commercial revenue. Clemson is the only school in the nation with the structure, as it has managed its own multimedia rights for the past three years.
Within the past 12 months, Clemson’s athletic department has also claimed three southeast regional EMMYs for original content, fully launched a new streaming platform and podcast network, and entered into a new over-the-air distribution agreement for its original programming.
