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 (CFP) rankings, Clemson defeated the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners, 37–17, in the 2015 Orange Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship. Despite the success of the season, and entering the championship game with an undefeated record (14–0), they lost to the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (13–1) in the 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.
Schedule source:
Roster
Recruiting class
Game summaries
Wofford
Appalachian State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Georgia Tech
Boston College
Miami (FL)
NC State
Florida State
Syracuse
Wake Forest
South Carolina
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.
Player Team Round Pick # Position Shaq Lawson Buffalo Bills 1st 19th DE Kevin Dodd Tennessee Titans 2nd 33rd DE Mackensie Alexander Minnesota Vikings 2nd 54th DB T. J. Green Indianapolis Colts 2nd 57th S B. J. Goodson New York Giants 4th 109th LB D. J. Reader Houston Texans 5th 166th DT Charone Peake New York Jets 7th 241st WR Jayron Kearse Minnesota Vikings 7th 244th S Zac Brooks Seattle Seahawks 7th 247th RB
Awards and honors National Coach of the Year Awards Dabo Swinney: AFCA, AP, CBS Sports, Home Depot, Maxwell Foundation, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Phil Steele, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Walter Camp
Broyles Award Finalist DC Brent Venables
Archie Griffin Award Deshaun Watson
Davey O'Brien Award Deshaun Watson
Manning Award Deshaun Watson
Heisman Trophy Finalist Deshaun Watson (3rd)
All-Americans QB Deshaun Watson‡: 1st Team - AP, AFCA, Athlon, FWAA, CBS Sports, ESPN, USA Today; 2nd Team - Walter Camp, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated DE Shaq Lawson‡: 1st Team - AP, AFCA, FWAA, Walter Camp, ESPN, USA Today; 2nd Team - Athlon, CBS Sports, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated SS Jayron Kearse: 1st Team - ESPN; 2nd Team - AP, Athlon, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated TE Jordan Leggett: 2nd Team - Walter Camp; 3rd Team - Athlon, Honorable Mention - Sports Illustrated CB Mackensie Alexander: 2nd Team - Athlon; 3rd Team - AP; Honorable Mention - Sports Illustrated K Greg Huegel: 2nd Team - Sports Illustrated; Freshman Team - USA Today LB Ben Boulware: Honorable Mention - Sports Illustrated OT Mitch Hyatt: Freshman Team - FWAA, Sporting News, USA Today DT Christian Wilkins: Freshman Team - FWAA, Sporting News
‡ - Consensus All-Americans
ACC Coach of the Year Dabo Swinney
ACC Player of the Year Deshaun Watson
ACC Offensive Player of the Year Deshaun Watson
All-ACC: 1st Team: QB Deshaun Watson, WR Artavis Scott, OG Eric MacLain, DE Shaq Lawson, DT Carlos Watkins, CB Mackensie Alexander 2nd Team: RB Wayne Gallman, TE Jordan Leggett, C Jay Guillermo, LB Ben Boulware, LB B. J. Goodson, S Jayron Kearse, K Greg Huegel 3rd Team: OG Tyrone Crowder, OT Joe Gore, OT Mitch Hyatt, CB Cordrea Tankersley
References