The 2009 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by Dabo Swinney in his first full season as head coach, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 9âÂÂ5 with a mark of 6âÂÂ2 in conference play, winning the ACC's Atlantic Division title. Clemson advanced to the ACC Championship Game, where the Tigers lost Georgia Tech. Clemson closed the season with a win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl. The team played home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.
In the Tigers' 40âÂÂ24 victory over the Florida State on November 7, running back C. J. Spiller and wide receiver Jacoby Ford became the leading all-purpose yardage duo in NCAA history, a record previously held by Marshall Faulk and Darnay Scott of San Diego State. Spiller was named as one of the three finalists for the Doak Walker Award along with Mark Ingram II of Alabama and Toby Gerhart of Stanford. On December 2, Spiller was voted the ACC's Offensive Player of the Year. He was the nation's only player i 2009 to account for touchdowns five different waysâÂÂrushing, passing, receiving, and on kick and punt returnsâÂÂand had passing, rushing and receiving touchdowns in one game, a victory against NC State. He returned four kickoffs and a punt for scores in 2009, and had eight total returns for touchdowns during his career. He scored at least once in every game during the season. Spiller led the ACC with an average of nearly 184 all-purpose yards per game and was the league's fourth-leading rusher, averaging 76 yards per game.
Cornerback Chris Chancellor, whose normal number was No. 38, wore No. 6, the normal number of wide receiver Jacoby Ford, for the Miami game. Under college football rules, two or more players on a team can wear the same number as long as only one is on the field at a time. Chancellor, a native of Miami, made the change with the blessing of both Ford and Swinney in memory of his former high school teammate Jasper Howard, a cornerback who wore No. 6 for Connecticut and was murdered in the early morning of October 18 following UConn's game against Louisville.
On July 25, it was announced that sophomore linebacker Stanley Hunter was forced to quit playing football for medical reasons. Hunter, who led the 2008 team in fewest plays per tackle, was suffering from an increase in seizures due to epilepsy. On August 18, head coach Dabo Swinney announced that several players would alternate wearing No. 17 during the season to honor Hunter.
The following players wore No. 17 during the season:
Three of the players who wore No. 17 (Korn, Diehl, and Dye) were also teammates with Hunter at James F. Byrnes High School in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Hunter remained a member of the Clemson team, serving as a student-coach the Tigers.
At the end of the season, Swinney announced that Clemson would retire the No. 28 jersey worn by C. J. Spiller at a ceremony when the Tigers play Maryland at home on October 16, 2010.
These are the starters, primary backups, and key reserves as of September 2009.
Clemson had five players selected in the 2010 NFL draft. C. J. Spiller went in the first round as the ninth overall pick.