Talking season is here.

Clemson held its annual preseason media day on Tuesday morning, just one day before ACC Media Days begin in Charlotte.

The Tigers are hoping to have a bounce-back season after dropping 3 games in 2021. It was the first time since 2014 that Clemson did not win the ACC Championship.

It’s also been a year of turnover for the Tigers. Clemson lost key assistants like Brent Venables, Todd Bates and Tony Elliott to other programs. Coach Dabo Swinney chose to promote from within in order to fill those roles.

With all that in mind, here are 3 takeaways from Clemson’s media day on Tuesday.

Will Shipley is in for a breakout year

Clemson running back Will Shipley appears to be poised for a breakout season. He’s already generating some preseason Heisman buzz, and his coaches raved about his improvements on Tuesday morning.

Running backs coach CJ Spiller and offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter touted both his work ethic and leadership abilities, despite the fact that he’s entering just his sophomore season.

Last season, Shipley rushed for 739 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 16 passes for 116 yards. He’s joined in the backfield by Kobe Pace and Phil Mafah, but Shipley’s volume of attempts should increase this season.

Clemson is confident in DJ Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik

Clemson’s coaching staff seems to have confidence in both of his former 5-star quarterbacks.

Uiagalelei is the presumed starter despite struggling for much of last season. His passer efficiency rating of 108.65 was last amongst qualified ACC quarterbacks. Still, he has plenty of upside — and a clean bill of health — moving forward.

According to Streeter, Uiagalelei worked on losing weight this offseason.

Uiagalelei will represent Clemson at ACC Media Days in Charlotte.

Klubnik, meanwhile, is holding his own as a true freshman. The No. 1 overall quarterback in his class, Klubnik will likely get a shot at some point this season if Uiagalelei continues to struggle on the field.

According to Swinney, Klubnik has already added a lot of good weight since arriving on campus.

Realignment takes

Swinney was direct on Tuesday morning when he was asked about Clemson’s place in the ever-changing college football landscape. The message? No matter what, Clemson will still be Clemson.

“I don’t know if the ACC will move to 52 teams or form some sort of Megatron conference,” Swinney told reporters. “But people don’t come to Clemson because of the conference we’re in … They come because we’re Clemson.”

While that’s not much of a message of loyalty to the conference, it should be comforting to Clemson fans who are uncertain about the future.

Clemson, who has been in the ACC since 1953, is tied to the conference through a grant-of-rights agreement that runs until 2036. However, there has been concern that ACC programs could fall behind financially as Big Ten and SEC programs are expected to net roughly $100 million annually from media rights distributions in future years.

If that does indeed happen, Clemson — and other top ACC programs — could have some tough decisions to make. But Swinney emphasized that it has won in the past without necessarily having the biggest checkbook.

Clemson opens the season with Georgia Tech on Sept. 5.