2015 Clemson Tigers football team


The 2015 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his seventh full year and eighth overall since taking over midway through 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, also known as "Death Valley." Clemson competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. On December 5, 2015, the Tigers won the 2015 ACC Championship Game by defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels, 45–37, capping their first undefeated regular season since winning the national title in 1981. Ranked No. 1 throughout the College Football Playoff rankings, Clemson defeated the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners, 37–17, in the 2015 Orange Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship. On January 11, 2016, the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the No. 1 Clemson Tigers in the 2016 national championship, 45–40. Both Clemson and Alabama finished the season 14–1.

Schedule

Clemson announced their 2015 football schedule on January 29, 2015. The 2015 schedule consisted of seven home and five away games in the regular season. The Tigers hosted ACC foes Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest, and travelled to Louisville, Miami, NC State, and Syracuse. Clemson hosted #4 seed Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in the first round of the 2015-16 College Football Playoff. The Tigers then hosted #2 seed Alabama in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship in University of Phoenix Stadium.

Roster

Recruiting class

Game summaries

Wofford

Overall recordLast meetingResult
11–32011CLEM, 35–27

Appalachian State

Overall recordLast meetingResult
4–01997CLEM, 23–12

Louisville

Overall recordLast meetingResult
2–02014CLEM, 23–17

Notre Dame

Georgia Tech

Overall recordLast meetingResult
27–51–22014GT, 28–6

Boston College

Overall recordLast meetingResult
13–9–22014CLEM, 17–13

Miami (FL)

Overall recordLast meetingResult
3–62010MIA, 30–21

NC State

Overall recordLast meetingResult
54–28–12014CLEM 41–0

Florida State

Overall recordLast meetingResult
8–202014FSU, 23–17

Syracuse

Overall recordLast meetingResult
2–12014CLEM, 16–6

Wake Forest

Overall recordLast meetingResult
62–17–12014CLEM, 34–20

South Carolina

Overall recordLast meetingResult
66–42–42014CLEM, 35–17

ACC Championship Game

CFP Playoff

Orange Bowl- CFP Semifinal Game

CFP Championship Game

Rankings

2016 NFL Draft

The Tigers had nine players drafted in the 2016 NFL draft. Shaq Lawson was picked first at 19th overall. Nine draftees is the most for Clemson since the 1983 NFL draft. It also gave the Tigers the second highest number of draftees in the 2016 NFL draft, second only to Ohio State with 12 players selected.
PlayerTeamRoundPick #Position
Shaq LawsonBuffalo Bills1st19thDE
Kevin DoddTennessee Titans2nd33rdDE
Mackensie AlexanderMinnesota Vikings2nd54thDB
TJ GreenIndianapolis Colts2nd57thS
BJ GoodsonNew York Giants4th109thLB
DJ ReaderHouston Texans5th166thDT
Charone PeakeNew York Jets7th241stWR
Jayron KearseMinnesota Vikings7th244thS
Zac BrooksSeattle Seahawks7th247thRB

Awards and honors

National Coach of the Year Awards
Broyles Award Finalist
Archie Griffin Award
Davey O'Brien Award
Manning Award
Heisman Trophy Finalist
All-Americans
‡ - Consensus All-Americans
ACC Coach of the Year
ACC Player of the Year
ACC Offensive Player of the Year
All-ACC: