NIL

When Derek Jeter made MLB All

Published

5 months ago

July 16, 2025

Nobody bats 1.000? Try telling that to Derek Jeter.

In 2000, the 26-year-old New York Yankee was already an All-Star and two-time World Series champion. The kid from Kalamazoo, Michigan, had come up quickly, suddenly possessing the leverage to turn down $100 million contracts and screen calls from singer Mariah Carey.

No one man should have all that power, but Jeter did, and he looked good doing it. The shortstop oozing with quiet cool had both the Bronx and Manhattan on lock, eyeing over seven-figure offers not just from owner George Steinbrenner but also from Madison Avenue.

The combination of major market, championship play, and youthful – yet professional – poise was enough for an at-bat that went far beyond baseball in representing sports icon Michael Jordan.

“It was the opportunity to be the premier baseball player on the Jordan Brand,” Excel Sports Management’s Casey Close, Jeter’s longtime agent, told Andscape. “It represented success and the highest end of the elite. It had Derek stand out from a lot of the other players.”

Not just a lot of players, but the entirety of Major League Baseball.

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter connects on a two-run single in the fourth inning on July 11, 2000 against the National League in that year’s All-Star Game at Turner Field in Atlanta.

STEVE SCHAEFER/AFP via Getty Images

Related StoryA sneakerhead’s dream: Dive into the all-time Signature Sneaker DatabaseRead now

Jordan sneakers as baseball cleats were not common in 1999 when they signed Jeter — they were non-existent. When Jordan signed Jeter that spring, the strange seeds were planted to extend Jordan Brand’s reach in new arenas.

Carrying a historic franchise on his back and setting the path for a retooled sportswear empire through his feet, Jeter arrived at the 2000 MLB All-Star Game, set in this year’s host city of Atlanta, as the kid who couldn’t miss but still had much to prove.

Jeter did his part by becoming the first New York Yankee to win MVP at the midseason classic. More covertly, he ushered in a new era of Jordan Brand where rocking retros wasn’t strictly reserved for the NBA hardwood or high school hallways.

“The biggest challenge was that in baseball you can’t wear the shoes that the player wears on field to the classroom,” Close said of soles that included cleats or spikes. “That was the only hurdle we needed to adapt to.”

Related Story‘The Godfather of the Jordan Brand’: How Howard White found his calling as Michael Jordan’s closest confidantRead now

Finding a through-line in Jordan’s back-to-school release calendar and baseball’s summer spectacle, Jeter took the plate in a player-exclusive take on the “Infrared” Air Jordan 6, adding Jeter’s No. 2 to the trademark tongue and replacing the illuminated Air sole with that of a black base and silver spikes.

“That moment helped set the tone for what cleated performance could look like when fused with iconic design,” a Jordan Brand spokesperson told Andscape.

The masses may have missed the big swing by Jeter and Jordan in the days of standard-definition television, but it broadcast a wave of where baseball, culture, and commerce would all shine in high definition.

See, Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter did not meet in a Beaverton, Oregon, Nike boardroom or at a Hamptons holiday party. Instead, the two 14-time All-Stars crossed on the dusty diamonds of Scottsdale, Arizona, chasing ground balls and the dreams of getting called up to the big leagues.

“I played with [Jeter] in fall ball in Arizona,” Jordan recalled in 2014, reflecting on his 1994 minor league baseball sabbatical and his brief stint with the Scottsdale Scorpions. “I was fascinated with the way that he played. Just by watching the way he carried himself you could see he was good from a very early age.”

Michael Jordan of the Scottsdale Scorpions warms up before an Arizona Fall League game at Scottsdale Stadium on Oct. 26, 1994, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

At the time, Jordan’s life was in transition with his footwear business on the fritz. Nike Basketball – a category built around Jordan – saw its sneaker revenue fall 22% in 1994. Forecasts were so dire that Jordan was forced to fund his own guarantee with Nike just to maintain the marketing dollars he believed were necessary to keep his signature series alive.

“I said I’d fund my own guarantee if they would commit enough marketing dollars to allow the brand to expand,” Jordan said about that time for “Driven From Within,” an autobiography released in 2006. “So I funded my own guarantee in the last contract I signed – for 30 years.”

As the Birmingham Barons outfielder batted .202 in Air Jordan 9 cleats – one-of-ones at the time – baseball, basketball and business appeared a losing situation for Jordan and Nike. When rounding the bases and approaching Jeter, it was unlikely the fresh-faced kid touting Tampa had any idea of the sneaker strife Jordan was experiencing outside of the diamond.

“I was 19 years old and I had just won Minor League Player of the Year,” Jeter recalled during an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast in 2022. “Michael’s on second base and the first thing he said to me was, ‘What’s up DJ?’ From that point forward? He always looked out for me.”

Related StoryOn his 60th birthday, 23 little-known sneaker stories about Michael JordanRead now

As Jordan looked out, things looked up. Crossing paths in humble circumstances soon led to bright light glory in divergent directions. Just two years after meeting, Jeter was voted the unanimous American League Rookie of the Year in 1996, helping the Bronx Bombers win their first World Series since 1978.

Heading back to basketball, Jordan kept pace with Jeter, capping a historic 72-10 season with his fourth NBA Championship and reviving his footwear franchise at Nike and, in turn, birthing the Jordan Brand in 1997.

Each Scottsdale standout had the world in their hands, but by 1999, Jordan would again leave basketball behind. Would business slump again, or could he pass the baton to an outside suitor?

“They kept in close contact,” Close said. “As Jordan Brand expanded, they got into baseball. Who else but Derek Jeter?”

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter makes a throw to first base during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y.

Jamie Squire/Allsport

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter in an MLB game at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

SPX/Ron Vesely Photography via Getty Images

As a footwear free agent thanks to a severed signature deal with Fila, Jeter was tasked with filling the shoes of the greatest athlete endorser of all time. The first season, he filled those shoes quite literally by playing in a cleated version of the Air Jordan 14 – a personalized pair almost identical in color blocking to the retail release famously worn by MJ for his “Last Shot,” a game-winning basket for the Bulls in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz in 1998.

By being the only MLB athlete anointed as the “Air Apparent,” Jeter’s cultural cache within the league skyrocketed, even if CEO Jordan was still struggling to sell shoes in his second retirement.

“There were a ton of baseball players who were wearing Jordan when they weren’t playing baseball,” Close said. “So to see this line come into the field and the clubhouse? It was very exciting for all the players.”

Exciting and worthy of envy. Heading into Atlanta’s All-Star Weekend in 2000, both championship jewelry and MLB jersey sales placed Jeter as baseball’s most marketable player. However, that didn’t make the Jeter-Jordan partnership a guaranteed home run. Then-Seattle Mariners star Alex Rodriguez was selected the American League starter at shortstop over Jeter, and Air Jordans were falling out of favor, reportedly down 42% entering the new century at its lowest showing ever.

As is often the case for Jeter and Jordan, the stars would align as the pressure mounted. A concussion kept Rodriguez out of the All-Star Game, while a pivot to tapping the nostalgia fountain signaled new life for Air Jordan.

American League All-Star Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees bats during the 2000 All-Star Game at Turner Field on July 11, 2000, in Atlanta.

Rich Pilling/MLB via Getty Images

In the fall of 2000, the Air Jordan 6 “Infrared” was slated to return as a retro release for the first time, aiming to expand the heritage of the teetering Nike subsidiary. Rather than retell the story of Jordan debuting said shoe in the 1991 NBA All-Star Game through hardwood ambassadors, they leaned on Jeter to breathe new life into the old shoe.

Perhaps, they breathed new life into Jeter, too.

Making good on a bad All-Star outing the year before, Jeter seized the moment in Atlanta, batting 1.000 by going 3-for-3 with two RBIs. With a Louisville Slugger in his hands and unreleased Jordans on his feet, he doubled off Randy Johnson, caught Kevin Brown through the middle for a single, and capped it with a line drive off Al Leiter.

“Three-for-three, a great night,” MLB commissioner Bud Selig said, congratulating Jeter on winning MVP. “And I’m told the first New York Yankee to ever win this award.”

The momentous outing would add to Jeter’s Yankees lore, claiming a trophy not even Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio or Reggie Jackson held. Additionally, it elevated Jeter as someone Jordan could count on in big stages. This would prove true months later as Jeter’s hot hitting would not just warm up Jordan’s back-to-school sneaker but baseball’s biggest event.

“Most people remember that as his signature All-Star performance,” Close said. “But he followed it up in the 2000 Subway Series by being the World Series MVP. 2000 was a very special year for Derek and the Jordan Brand as well.”

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter (right) celebrates after scoring a run and avoiding the tag by New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza in the third inning of Game 3 of the World Series at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York, on Oct. 24, 2000.

ANDREW SAVULICH / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW SAVULICH/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS/AFP via Getty Images

Special indeed, as the always-ahead-of-schedule Jeter bested the crosstown Mets in Air Jordan 11 PE Cleats – once again paving the way for “Concord” and “Space Jam” holiday releases that entirely ignited the Jordan Brand we know today.

Twenty-five years later, to say Jeter popularized retro Jordans is a reach. However, to say Jordan made his biggest bet as a young CEO on a kid he met in minor league fall ball is emphatically true. It was also a good one.

As an ambassador, Jeter would go on to have a signature line with Jordan Brand, appearing in multiple ad campaigns, releasing various retro renditions, and winning five World Series and five Gold Glove awards in total.

The “Infrared” footwear donned by the 2000 MLB All-Star Game MVP may have been a rarity 25 years ago, but it’s the norm now. In 2025’s Atlanta exhibition, five Jordan Brand athletes will lace up basketball-inspired cleats, with two of them being Yankees.

“We’re seeing a cultural shift where performance and personality are inseparable,” Jordan Brand shared via a statement to Andscape. “The future of baseball is bold, expressive, and Jumpman-led. We’re just getting started.”

It’s an impressive feat for a once-fledgling company now tracking toward $10 billion in annual revenue, still gaining ground in an evolving sport once secluded in tradition, yet now expanding at the seams.

“A lot of the players wanted to wear it,” Close said, looking back on Jeter’s All-Star Air Jordan moment. “It was a very unique situation at the time.”

Ian Stonebrook is a culture, sports, and music writer based in Austin, TX. For a clever second line, say what up or find him on a basketball court.

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Trump ‘willing to put the federal government behind’ changes to NIL

Published

20 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

On the cusp of the 45th anniversary of their defeat of the Soviet Union in the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, the United States’ “Miracle on Ice” Olympic men’s hockey team was honored at the White House on Friday, Dec. 12 with Congressional Gold Medals.

It led into a brief discussion on the current state of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) in college sports when Team USA captain Mike Eruzione was asked about the topic by a reporter. Following a brief response from Eruzione, President Donald Trump joined the conversation and made a statement.

“Something ought to be done, and I’m willing to put the federal government behind it,” Trump said of overhauling NIL in college sports during a bill signing ceremony in the Oval Office. “And if it’s not done fast, you’re going to wipe out colleges.”

REQUIRED READING: ‘Miracle on Ice’ team honored with Congressional Gold Medals by President Trump

This is not the first time that Trump has spoken on the state of college athletics in a time where NIL and the transfer portal have taken over. He made similar remarks on “The Pat McAfee Show” during a phone call interview on Veterans Day.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives recently pulled the scheduled final vote for the Republican-backed SCORE Act that would have allowed the NCAA and its recently formed College Sports Commission to create and enforce national rules that have been under legal dispute in recent years.

The SCORE Act (Student Compensation And Opportunity Through Rights and Endorsements) had sought to provide more regulation and calm the chaotic environment created by the introduction of NIL compensation, revenue sharing and the transfer portal to college sports.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says ‘something ought to be done’ about NIL in college sports

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Here’s what Trump has to say about NIL in college sports

Published

1 hour ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

President Donald Trump isn’t a big fan of college athletes being paid for the use of their name, image and likeness.

In fact, he trashed NIL in response to a question about it Friday.

During a ceremony at the White House to honor the gold-medal winning 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a reporter asked about NIL deals and the transfer portal, noting the “Miracle on Ice” players were amateurs who didn’t get paid.

Team captain Mike Eruzione said he didn’t like it, but that’s the state of college sports today and “we have no control over that.”

Trump, though, said maybe there is something to do about it.

“I think the NIL is a disaster for sports. It’s horrible for the Olympics, and I think it’s actually horrible for the players,” he said.

Trump said colleges are cutting “lesser” sports, those that don’t bring in revenue but help train athletes for the Olympics.

“Those sports don’t exist because they’re putting all their money into football, and by the way, they’re putting too much money into football,” Trump said.

As NIL and now revenue sharing has entered college sports, many schools across the country are having to make tough decisions about whether to maintain Olympic or nonrevenue sports.

The House v. NCAA settlement allows universities to pay their athletes up to $20.5 million per year, which works out to about 22% of the average athletic department revenue at Power Four schools. The vast majority of the money goes to football and men’s basketball players, the two most revenue-generating sports at most universities.

“You can’t pay a quarterback $14 million to come out of high school. They don’t even know if he’s going to be a very good player,” Trump said. “Colleges cannot afford to pay the kind of salaries you’re hearing out there.”

The highest reported NIL payments for football players have been in the $6 million to $8 million range. But Trump said schools won’t be able to stop paying more and more to get the player they believe will win them a national championship.

“You’re going to have these colleges wipe themselves out. And something ought to be done and I’m willing to put the federal government behind it. But if it’s not done fast, you’re going to wipe out colleges. They’re going to get wiped out, including ones that do well in football,” Trump said.

The president didn’t specify what he thinks the federal government should do. Several bills regulating NIL have been filed in Congress, but none have gained traction.

“Colleges cannot afford to play this game, and it’s a very bad thing that’s happening,” he said.

Private equity enters college sports

Trump comments come as the University of Utah became the first school in the country to announce a deal with a private equity firm to infuse cash into its athletics program.

University administrators said the program has operated efficiently and generated a modest surplus over the years with the support of donors and student fees. But the decision to share revenues with athletes under the House settlement and the emergence of the transfer portal have added significant costs to the school.

The cost of supporting a nationally competitive athletics program has risen dramatically and far outpaces revenue growth, they said.

Utah intends to create a for-profit company called Utah Brands & Entertainment through its university foundation. It will partner with Otro Capital to run the commercial side of its sports program.

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Bailey, Rodriguez garner Walter Camp All-America honors

Published

2 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech senior outside linebacker David Bailey and senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez were both named first team All-Americans by the Walter Camp Foundation on Friday evening during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN.

This is the first career All-America honor for both Bailey and Rodriguez, who became only the third set of Red Raider teammates to collect first team All-America honors in school history. Texas Tech had both linebacker Zach Thomas and defensive back Marcus Coleman represented on an NCAA-recognized All-America team in 1995, while the quartet of wide receiver Michael Crabtree, quarterback Graham Harrell and offensive linemen Rylan Reed and Brandon Carter were all recognized in 2008.

The Walter Camp All-America teams kick off the list of NCAA-recognized organizations that determine the NCAA’s annual consensus and unanimous All-America teams. The Associated Press All-America team will be unveiled Monday followed by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) on Tuesday, the Sporting News on Wednesday and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) on Thursday.

Now in its 136th year as the nation’s oldest All-America team, the Walter Camp Foundation had not previously recognized a Red Raider since tight end Jace Amaro was a unanimous selection to the first team in 2013. Rodriguez joins Thomas (1994-95) and Thomas Howard (1976) as the only linebackers in program history to receive first team All-America honors. Bailey, meanwhile, became the third Red Raider defensive end or outside linebacker to be recognized on the first team, joining two other greats in Montae Reagor (1998) and Tyree Wilson (2022).

The All-America honor only adds to a memorable week for Rodriguez, who was also named the winner of the Bednark Award Friday evening during the ESPN broadcast. Rodriguez has collected the Butkus Award (nation’s top linebacker), the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s top defensive player), the Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman or linebacker) and the Pony Express Award (nation’s top duo with Bailey) in the past week alone.

Rodriguez has been the most-disruptive player in college football this season as he enters the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl as the FBS leader with seven forced fumbles and ranks among the top-15 players nationally with 117 tackles. He is the first FBS player since 2005 to record at least five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions all in the same season.

His impact has bolstered a Texas Tech defense that leads the nation with 31 takeaways and ranks third nationally in scoring defense at 10.9 points per game. Rodriguez was responsible for nine takeaways himself — all in Big 12 play – thanks to his ability to punch the ball out and also read the quarterback in coverage. Rodriguez is currently the highest-rated player in all of college football, according to Pro Football Focus, grading out at 93.3 overall so far this season.

Bailey, meanwhile, leads possibly the best defensive line in college football this season with 13.5 sacks, which leads all power conference players and ranks second overall nationally entering bowl season. Bailey, who is also third in the FBS with 17.5 tackles for loss, is in the midst of his most-productive collegiate season after arriving from Stanford this offseason with 14.5 sacks for his career at the time, one more than his total this season under head coach Joey McGuire and outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You. He is 1.5 sacks shy of the Texas Tech single-season sacks record of 15.0 that was set by Brandon Sharpe in 2009.

Pro Football Focus has credited Bailey with 74 pressures this season, easily the most in college football as Adam Trick of Miami (Ohio) ranks second with 66. Louisville’s Clev Lubin is the next-closest power conference player to Bailey with 61 pressures of his own. Bailey’s ability to get to the quarterback has also caused three forced fumbles, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.

As a team, Texas Tech is the only team in the country to rank in the top five nationally for not only scoring defense and total defense but also total offense and total offense. The result has pushed Texas Tech to its first Big 12 Conference title and a 12-1 record, marking the most wins in a season in school history.

The Red Raiders await the winner of the College Football Playoff opening round game between No. 5 Oregon and No. 12 seed James Madision in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Kickoff on New Year’s Day is set for 11 a.m. CT with coverage provided on ESPN and the Texas Tech Sports Network.

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Georgia football’s Dontrell Glover, Bo Walker arrested for shoplifting

Published

3 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 12, 2025, 9:24 p.m. ET

Two Georgia football players were arrested Friday and charged with misdemeanor theft by shoplifting.

Starting offensive guard Dontrell Glover and running back Bo Walker were booked into the Clarke County Jail after 5:30 p.m. and released before 8 p.m, according to the jail’s online booking report. The arresting agency is the Athens-Clarke County Police.

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Matt Rhule endorses Nick Saban as commissioner for college football

Published

4 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Amid all the complaints about the current state of college football, be it the College Football Playoff or NIL and the NCAA Transfer Portal, the only solution that has any consensus is the overwhelming desire for a “commissioner” to create and enforce rules and regulations across the sport.

And, whenever the topic of a college football commissioner comes up, one name always seems to be connected: Nick Saban. Of course, the 74-year-old former Alabama head coach-turned-ESPN College GameDay analyst has repeatedly shot down any such suggestion when it inevitably comes up.

“I don’t want to be in that briar patch of being a commissioner,” Saban told the Associated Press in late August. “But I do want to do everything I can to make it right.”

But now the call is coming from inside the house. This week, Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule openly championed for Saban to accept the yet-to-be-created position during a discussion about the untenable current college football calendar on his House Rhules podcast.

“I can tell you this, I know most coaches, I know me, if that was one the table, I’d certainly vote yes,” Rhule said during Thursday’s episode of his podcast, House Rhules. “Because he’s been in the trenches, he has experience, he has the vision. And you also have to have someone who has the guts and the toughness to make hard decisions, because you’re not going to make everyone happy. That’s why the NFL has Roger Goodell, he’s going to do things, even if people don’t like them, he’s going to do what’s right for the game. And they protect the league.

“For us, our conferences are our leagues, so everyone is protecting their own conference, which is why things end up being maybe a little disjointed as a result,” Rhule concluded. “So, shoot, come on Coach Saban, do it, man. We need you.”

Saban has long been a proponent of more regulation and structure in the sport, especially after this summer’s passage of the House v. NCAA settlement that ended the NCAA’s outdated “amateur” model. The settlement ushered in revenue-sharing across college athletics, allowing programs to pay as much as $20.5 million to their student-athletes, with football teams expected to receive roughly 75% of that total annually. Of course, that has only created more issues, so much so that Congress is now getting involved.

“For years and years and years as coaches, and when we were players, we learned this, we’re trying to create value for our future,” Saban told the AP. “That’s why we’re going to college. It’s not just to see how much money we can make while we’re in college. It’s, how does that impact your future as far as our ability to create value for ourselves?”

That said, if Saban really wants to be part of the solution to what ails college football, Rhule knows the perfect way for him to make the biggest impact.

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The Clemson Insider

Published

5 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CLEMSON — While Clemson continues to prepare to play Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27, there are things happening inside the program that will help shape what takes place next year.

The next month is going to be the most important month Dabo Swinney’s program will have in a very long time.

Why?

There is a lot going on, whether it be through the transfer portal, NIL or coaching. There are a lot of moving parts right now and it is all important to next year’s team.

Though Swinney will not talk about next year’s team until this season is over, we can.

As we have reported, there are and there will be more changes to the coaching staff. There will also be more changes to the personnel.

The transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2, and, as you know, several Tigers have already given their intentions to enter the portal. Four underclassmen have declared for the NFL Draft, as well.

Clemson welcomes 19 freshmen to the team, most of them will enroll in January. However, the Tigers will have two weeks to bring in some more talent from the portal.

How Swinney and the coaching staff attack the portal will be paramount to the 2026 team’s success?

It has been well documented Clemson has not handled the NIL and portal as well as other schools. You only need to look at the four previous seasons to see what I am talking about.

Since 2021, the Tigers are 37-16 (.698) with one College Football Playoff appearance. Granted, the Tigers did win ACC Championships in 2022 and ’24, but it is obvious the program has slipped a notch in this new era of college football.

Can the Tigers reach the top of the mountain, again?

I am not sure.

Let’s be honest, the NIL has hurt Clemson. Part of that is Clemson’s fault, part of that is just the way things are. It’s hard for Clemson to compete in the third-party NIL world with schools that can. That is one reason why the Tigers cannot sign 5-star prospects anymore.

While Clemson continues to struggle with the NIL, other schools within the ACC, continue to have success. ACC Champion Duke is a perfect example of this.

Before the NIL, Duke was irrelevant in football and there was no way they could compete with the Clemson’s and Florida State’s. These days, the Blue Devils own a two-game win streak against the Tigers.

Why?

Because they are more successful with the NIL.

Virginia is another example. Tony Elliott went to the portal and pulled 30 new players on a team that made it to the ACC Championship Game. He used revenue sharing and NIL funds to get the best players he could.

As we mentioned before, the changes in college football are very reminiscent of how new rules in college baseball affected the Clemson baseball program some 15 years ago. Clemson baseball has never fully recovered.

Will Clemson Football?

To do that, Clemson must change its philosophy when it comes to paying players from the portal.

This is like free agency in the NFL. You must go and pay for the best.

You must do what is best for the program, not worry if you hurt the feelings of a current player on the roster.

Look at it this way, Clemson is losing, potentially, three first-round picks—Peter Woods, Avieon Terrell and T.J. Parker—and one second-round pick in Antonio Williams. Those guys are all underclassmen. Who are the Tigers replacing them with?

Let me ask you this. How many first-round picks will next year’s roster have?

This is an important off-season. Swinney must make the right choices in the portal.

The Tigers cannot afford to go 4-4 in the ACC again, which is possible if you look at next year’s schedule.

Clemson will play Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia at home in 2026. As well as visit California, Duke, Florida State and Syracuse. Look at that schedule, do you think the Tigers, with the current roster, can win the ACC next season?

This is why the next month is going to be so big for the Clemson Football program.

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