2019 Clemson Tigers football team
The 2019 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney, in his 11th full year. The Tigers competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.
Entering the season as defending national champions, Clemson began the year ranked first in the polls. Despite securing another undefeated regular season and its fifth consecutive conference title after defeating Virginia in the ACC Championship Game, Clemson fell to third in the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season, owing to its comparatively weak strength of schedule. They were selected to the Fiesta Bowl to play second-seeded Ohio State, where the Tigers won by a score of 29–23. Clemson advanced to the National Championship Game, where they lost to LSU, 42–25, ending their winning streak at 29 games and finishing the season at 14–1.
Clemson was led by sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who led the ACC with 3,665 passing yards and 45 total touchdowns. Running back Travis Etienne was named ACC Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, leading the conference with 19 rushing touchdowns and 7.8 yards per carry, and finishing in second with 1,614 rushing yards. Offensive lineman John Simpson was named a consensus All-American, and he was joined on the first-team All-ACC by Lawrence, Etienne, wide receiver Tee Higgins, and offensive lineman Tremayne Anchrum. On defense, the team was led by All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year linebacker Isaiah Simmons. He was joined on the first-team All-ACC by cornerback A. J. Terrell and safety Tanner Muse.
Previous season
The Tigers entered the 2019 season as defending national champions, having finished the 2018 season 15–0, and 8–0 in ACC play. They won the ACC for the fourth consecutive season by beating Pittsburgh in the ACC Championship game, 42–10. The Tigers won the national championship 44–16 over Alabama in the CFP National Championship game. They were the first major college football program to finish with a record of 15–0 since Penn in 1897.Offseason
Recruiting
Clemson's 2019 recruiting class consisted of 29 signees, including 17 that enrolled early and one that grayshirted. The class was ranked as the best class in the ACC and the 10th best class overall according to the 247Sports Composite.Offseason departures
NFL draftees
| Player | Round | Pick | Team | Position |
| Clelin Ferrell | 1 | 4 | Oakland Raiders | DE |
| Christian Wilkins | 1 | 13 | Miami Dolphins | DT |
| Dexter Lawrence | 1 | 17 | New York Giants | DT |
| Trayvon Mullen | 2 | 40 | Oakland Raiders | CB |
| Austin Bryant | 4 | 117 | Detroit Lions | DE |
| Hunter Renfrow | 5 | 149 | Oakland Raiders | WR |
Undrafted Free Agents
| Player | Team | Position | Ref |
| Tre Lamar | Detroit Lions | LB | |
| Trevion Thompson | Los Angeles Chargers | WR | |
| Albert Huggins | Houston Texans | DT | |
| Mark Fields | Kansas City Chiefs | CB |
Transfers
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | College transferred to | Source |
| Tavien Feaster | 28 | RB | 5'11" | 215 | Senior | Spartanburg, SC | South Carolina | |
| Richard Yeargin | 49 | DT | 6'5" | 260 | Junior | Lauderdale Lakes, FL | Boston College | |
| Shaq Smith | 5 | LB | 6'2" | 255 | Junior | Baltimore, MD | Maryland | |
| Kyler McMichael | 2 | CB | 6'0" | 200 | Sophomore | Norcross, GA | North Carolina |
Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released| Lott Trophy | Isaiah Simmons | LB | JR |
| Maxwell Award | Travis Etienne | RB | JR |
| Maxwell Award | Trevor Lawrence | QB | SO |
| Maxwell Award | Justyn Ross | WR | SO |
| Bednarik Award | Isaiah Simmons | LB | JR |
| Davey O'Brien Award | Trevor Lawrence | QB | SO |
| Doak Walker Award | Travis Etienne | RB | JR |
| Biletnikoff Award | Justyn Ross | WR | SO |
| Biletnikoff Award | Tee Higgins | WR | JR |
| Butkus Award | Isaiah Simmons | LB | JR |
| Rimington Trophy | Sean Pollard | OL | SR |
| Outland Trophy | Tremayne Anchrum | OL | SR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Isaiah Simmons | LB | JR |
| Dodd Trophy | Dabo Swinney | HC | -- |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Sean Pollard | OL | SR |
| Walter Camp Award | Travis Etienne | RB | JR |
| Walter Camp Award | Trevor Lawrence | QB | SO |
| Walter Camp Award | Xavier Thomas | DE | SO |
ACC Media Days
The ACC media poll was released on July 22, 2019. Clemson was the consensus pick to repeat once again as ACC Champion, receiving 171 votes to win the Atlantic Division and 170 votes to win the Conference Championship.| Media poll |
Schedule
Clemson announced its 2019 football schedule on January 16, 2019. The 2019 schedule consists of seven home games and five away games in the regular season. The Tigers will host ACC foes Georgia Tech, Florida State, Boston College, and Wake Forest and will travel to Syracuse, North Carolina, Louisville and NC State.The Tigers will host three of the four non-conference opponents, Texas A&M from the SEC, Charlotte from Conference USA and Wofford from the Southern Conference, and will travel to South Carolina from the SEC.
Personnel
Coaching staff
Roster
Source:Depth chart
Rankings
Game summaries
Georgia Tech
Texas A&M
at Syracuse
Charlotte
at North Carolina
Florida State
at Louisville
Boston College
Wofford
at NC State
Wake Forest
at South Carolina
ACC Championship Game
vs. Ohio State (Fiesta Bowl – CFP Semifinal Game)
vs. LSU (CFP National Championship)
Awards and honors
| Player | Award | Date | Ref. |
| Isaiah Simmons | Walter Camp Player of the Week | September 15, 2019 |
| Player | Position | Award | Ref. |
| Travis Etienne | RB | ACC Player of the Year | |
| Travis Etienne | RB | ACC Offensive Player of the Year | |
| Isaiah Simmons | LB | ACC Defensive Player of the Year | |
| Isaiah Simmons | LB | Butkus Award |
Postseason
2020 NFL Draft
The 2020 NFL Draft will be held on April 23–25, 2020 in Paradise, Nevada.Tigers who were picked in the 2020 NFL Draft:
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 1 | 8 | Isaiah Simmons | OLB | Arizona Cardinals |
| 1 | 16 | A. J. Terrell | CB | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2 | 33 | Tee Higgins | WR | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 3 | 100 | Tanner Muse | S | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 4 | 109 | John Simpson | OG | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 4 | 127 | K'Von Wallace | S | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 7 | 250 | Tremayne Anchrum | OG | Los Angeles Rams |