I think its about time we have an actual football discussion on this board again. I know that there hasn’t been much football to discuss, beyond all of us crossing our fingers that we’ll have a normal season this year. So I figured, let’s take a look at what our team will look like in 2020 if we do indeed have a standard football season this year.
Clemson offense:
QB - Obviously everything starts with Trevor Lawrence. He’s the best pure passer in college football and damn near a lock to be the first player taken in the 2021 draft. I’ve seen some say Fields is a better QB, and Fields is very good to be sure, but Fields doesn’t have the same arm talent that Lawrence does and can’t make all of the throws Lawrence can. On top of that, Trevor is a physical prototype for the NFL. He’s a Peyton Manning clone at 6’6 and if scouts are 50/50 on 2 guys they will almost always defer to the preferred measurables.
Trevor struggled early last year, then got into a groove but didn’t play well against LSU. Personally I felt that we kind of set him up to fail by not committing more to a run game that was having success and asking him to win a shootout against one of the best offenses in college football history.
But Trevor figures to be even better in 2020. He’ll be a year more experienced, a year more knowledgeable, a year more physically mature. Nothing on planet earth can replace experience. And when you take one of the most talented players in the country and combine it with experience, its a recipe for a big year.
RB - So Etienne is back, of course. This was somewhat surprising, although it became clear in the weeks leading up to the LSU game that Travis had his mind made up to come back. This will obviously be a great boon to the running game in a year where will we be breaking in new starters along the OL. It was also help TL and the passing game as it retains balance in the offense.
Dixon continued to show flashes during his sophomore year and has put his impressive burst on display multiple times. He’ll be a #2 back in a year that he’s ready to be a #1. This again figures to help boost the running game. But like many here on the board, I’m anticipating a lot of frustration with limited carries for Travis as although Dixon is a solid back, there will likely still be a noticeable drop off when Etienne is out of the game.
Behind those two - just a plethora of backs that I’d probably put in a similar talent range - Dukes, Mellusi, Pryor. I’d anticipate Mellusi or Dukes or both hitting the portal eventually, particularly now that Shipley is in the....ship. I’d assume Pryor will get a redshirt - which doesn’t mean as much now days as he can still get some decent reps over 4 games.
Then there’s Bowman. A super talented freshman that is getting compared to CJ Spiller (blasphemy!). He’s an exciting player and a guy that will likely earn a lot of snaps as a freshman. Its probably fair to say that Mellusi and Dukes have been outrecruited. These are the type of “good problems” that elite programs have.
Digging into WR, the big story line to me here is 1) Can Ross recapture the magic he had as a freshman and 2) who’s going to step up as the #2 deep threat? Ross was stellar as a freshman but disappeared at times last year and was clearly banged up late in the year and not playing at his highest level in the playoff. I think he’s an ultra talented player that maybe got a bit of a big head and needs a bit of maturing. But that’s not uncommon for a 20 year old.
After him, who’s next? We know Rodgers is back but he’s not going to be a guy that can necessarily stretch the field the way Higgins could. Ngata is a guy that got some seriously high praise last year from the staff, and he will have his opportunity to really step up and be the type of player that he has been forecasted to be. Ladson showed some really big flashes last year and if he can develop some more consistency, he’ll certainly be a great weapon as well. Powell will provide some depth, and I’m betting Ajou will draw some depth snaps as well.
I believe we’re going to have to continue to work on getting Etienne involved in the passing game, as well as Dixon and Bowman. All are big threats in the open field and will help supplement our passing game as our OL grows over the course of the year.
At Tight End, man it sure is nice to have Galloway back. He made some nice plays against LSU and forced them to change how they were playing him. The lack of a good pass catching tight end has been glaring in our offense for a few years now, and having a guy that can create the kind of matchup problems that Galloway can will be a huge boost to our intermediate passing game, which was almost non-existent at times in 2019. It will be interesting to see how Galloway has grown as a blocker.
Our offense is primarily an 11 personnel offense, though the staff last year ran a lot more 10 personnel. I’d anticipate a move back to more 11 and even 12 personnel, with Galloway acting as a hybrid TE/WR while a second TE acts as a blocker. We don’t have a lot of great, developed depth at WR, but we have dependable and experienced backs with a lot of talent. As guys like Ngata and Ladson develop, and as the OL improves in their pass pro, you’ll see more spread personnel and more aggressive passing. I just think we’ll need to develop those guys over the course of the year and lean more on the guys we can depend on early and kind of scheme around the question marks at OL.
On the offensive line - this is where it gets a bit tricky, right?
Only one returning starter here and that’s Jackson Carman. Carman struggled as a freshman but showed great improvement as a sophomore. Still, he’s got a ways to go in terms of being consistent in his technique and continuing to transform his body. I worry a bit about him during the COVID shut down because he’ll have less guidance and less structure around him to help him with his development. I’m sure the coaches are checking on him and the other players constantly, but when you think about the absolute primary reason for the Reeves Complex, its to provide a singular location where the players can have all of their needs met. Jackson no longer has access to those resources like a ready made meal plan and so a lot of his success in 2020 will depend on his ability to be disciplined and accountable to himself over the summer.
That said, if he continues on the developmental track he showed last year, he’ll be in a position to have an outstanding year and develop into the caliber of player that many seem to think he already is. He’s a fantastic athlete with a lot of power, his issues are technique and balance. But the potential is certainly there.
Matt Bockhorst is ready to start. I thought he was ready to be a starter a year ago. Very physical at the point of attack and a big time “effort” guy. He won’t have the natural athleticism or power that Simpson had, but I think he’s better fundamentally and has a nasty streak to him that was kind of off and on in Simpson. I think we’ll be fine with Bockhorst.
The other guard spot is a bit a question mark. I think the assumption is that Putnam will be the day 1 starter and honestly I don’t know much about his game. I know he was highly recruited and there’s been a lot of positive feedback about him, but I haven’t seen him in games in really competitive situations. He’s a guy that will likely need development over the course of the year.
The other tackle spot will be McFadden and he has been a bit of a surprise. I thought he performed well last year in a backup role, but certainly still some growth needed there. But he’s shown more athleticism that I think was anticipated but I expect we’ll see some drop off there after losing Anchrum.
Center is the big trouble spot. Cade Stewart figures to be the number 1 guy there entering camp, and that’s a real bad news bears situation. Stewart is an old school, fire out, drive your man back kind of blocker, and unfortunately that’s just not what is required of today’s offensive linemen. He would have been a great player 30 years ago, but in today’s college football, he’s a serviceable depth player at best. He has the flexibility of a 2x4 and I don’t think he’s a good answer at center. So who is? I don’t really know. Hopefully one can develop during camp. Hell it may be a freshman.
It seems that all 5 of our freshmen OL will likely draw snaps, although a couple may eventually redshirt. I think Parks is the most ready to play of the 5 and will play a significant role for us this year. He really bulked up and looks more like a football player now and doesn’t seem to have lost his quality footwork. Great technician.
I also really like Mitchell Mayes and John Williams. Mayes is really athletic and comes from a high school that uses a lot of similar zone blocking schemes to what we use. Lots of power zone type blocking. Williams is just a mean guy, very physical, a bully on the field and that’s what you want in a lineman.
I think those 3 guys are most ready to play while Tucker and Tchio will need more development. Tucker will have to undergo a physical transformation and it seems Tchio has already begun that process and dropped a lot of weight. While that’s a good sign, I’d also throw up a caution that that’s only the first step in the process. Losing bad weight is great, but now he’s got to build back up with good weight. Remember when Quentez Ruffin slimmed way down and just could never get the weight back on and eventually quit football. That said, some of that had to do with Ruffin’s dedication and he certainly didn’t have the type of resources available that Tchio will.
The issue with Mayes, Williams, and Parks is they are all recruited as tackles. Mayes is I think a pure tackle just based on his frame, and Parks has great pass pro footwork and will need to be a tackle long term. But I could see Parks or Williams playing some inside to help provide depth there as needed.
We are paying the price in 2020 for some questionable recruiting practices from a numbers stand point along the OL. We should sign 3-5 OL every year and we simply haven’t done that and that’s what has created the gaps in depth we have now. But the good news is we’ve recruited some quality players there and this class in particular is very strong.
So some big question marks at OL, some development needed there. Some depth needed at WR. But an elite QB and a special RB can make all the difference and I think there’s enough good players there to be excited about the offense in 2020.
But for the love of all that is good in the world please give Etienne more touches.
Ok, Clemson defense.
So we’ve been kind of uniquely fortunate over the last few seasons to have great athletes like O’Daniel and of course Simmons to play these kind of hybrid LB/nickel safety positions but we won’t have that luxury anymore. I’d anticipate us moving to a more traditional 3 LB set and going into a more traditional nickel set with an additional DB. I’d also expect us to go back to more base 4-3 fronts, though I’m certain Venables will retain some of what we ran in 2019 as it was so effective and allows him to be more multiple.
DL - Like OL, a lot of young but exciting talent here. And with the DL there’s usually a better chance for these guys to have an immediate impact whereas OL usually requires more development.
I’ve been a proponent of Pinckney for some time and think he’s an undervalued player up front. He’s got great athleticism and slides off of blocks well. But he does lack size and power and doesn’t always hold up particularly well against a more power run game. He’s great at getting into gaps vs zone blocking but isn’t going to be a guy that pushes the OL into the backfield.
Jordan Williams is more of a power guy, he’s bigger and stronger. I think he developed well last year and got better as the year went on, but I’m not sure he has the type of athleticism he needs to be a really great player at this level. He’s a guy who has simply been outrecruited and I can’t foresee him drawing reps over the likes of Bresee or Capehart for very long.
The best returning player inside is Tyler Davis. Similar to Pinckney he’s a bit undersized but quick and athletic, however he seems to play with better leverage and power than Pinckney does and is better at taking on physical blockers and is thusly a more complete player.
Capehart I’m certain will play quite a bit. But the real superstar is Mr. Bresee. This guy is on another level. I could see him playing at a 5 technique, similar to how we would play Wilkins, kind of inside and out, but I think he’ll primarily be inside. He’s the total package, very powerful, great hands, I mean great hands for a guy his age. Knows how to get blockers off of him. I’d think he’ll have a Dexter Lawrence type impact - meaning that from game 1 he’ll be a significant player in our defense.
At end, you have to start with Xavier Thomas. He really regressed last year. I know there’s been some that have said he was out of position playing more inside with our 3 man front, and there’s probably some credence to that, but honestly Justin Foster managed to get pressures and sacks and he’s not the athlete Thomas is. He’s one of these guys that just has the world at his finger tips in terms of his talent profile, but he’s got to put it all together.
Many of the big plays he’s made have been plays where he’s been able to just out speed people, but he needs to work on getting off of blocks and being more physical at the point of attack. And to be honest, I didn’t see as much effort and energy from him in 2019 as I did in 2018. As a freshman he seemed to constantly be playing in an extra gear but last year he really downshifted. So hopefully he can get it going again because he’s got the potential to be elite.
Justin Foster has been a steady and reliable player for us. He doesn’t have the type of athleticism we’ve come to expect from our ends, but he’s been a solid player who has steadily improved year over year. The loss of Rudolph hurts from a depth stand point, but I think Henry will be ready to step into a larger role. He started to come on more last season as he got more confident in his role. He does need to bulk up a bit, but he’ll be in a position to play quite a bit in 2020. Murphy figures to draw some snaps at end as well, and between Mascoll and Ruke, we’ll have to see who develops there.
LB - 281-330-8004 - it’s time to hit Mike Jones up! Lots of question marks at LB this year, certainly going to need some lesser experienced guys to step up. Skalski is the rock here, and a lot of people, myself included, were hoping to see Spector get an increased role last season. He’s got a nose for the football and played well in his role last year. Of course Mike Jones will finally get a chance to make us all remember his name.
Beyond that, there’s Venables, who is a solid guy, good player, but lacks some of the athleticism of the guys behind him. Bunch of second year guys like Constantin, Patterson, Maguire who figure to flesh out the depth chart and of course I’d be stunned if Simpson didn’t draw some solid snaps.
So similar deal here as we have at OL. Some first year starters and inexperienced guys down the depth chart. We’ve got some good players there though and we’ve just got to see who rises to the occasion and develops into a player this fall.
DB - We’ve recruited a lot of high profile corners over the last couple of years and that’s not even counting DK who proved to be pretty solid in that spot in his first year. One can only believe he’ll be much improved after a year’s worth of snaps at the position, and then here we are again. Who’s going to be the young guy that steps up and delivers? Goodrich? Booth? Fred Davis? My money is on Booth being the 2nd guy and then we’ll see how things fill out down the depth chart.
I don’t even know what to expect at safety. Turner obviously will be back there. Zanders? Phillips? Charleston? Mickens? Who’s the next guy?
So you can see there’s a bit of a theme here. We’re going to need a lot of guys who haven’t been on the big stage yet to step up and develop and turn into the players we recruited them to be.
To me though, these are good question marks. The question at corner isn’t “are we going to be good enough?” We’ve recruited extremely well, we have good players, the question is “which of these good players is going to step up and be the guy?” Same question at multiple positions. When you recruit elite players, you don’t have to lose sleep over wondering if you have elite players. You just have to get them developed and in a position to go play.
Offensive line is the most concerning position to me simply because we’re extremely thin there and if these freshmen OL come in and aren’t able to play well early, then we’re an injury away from a big problem out there.
But looking through the schedule, who is there to really challenge us over the season as we develop and grow? Our program has been outstanding at peaking at the right time and (please don’t hit me) part of that is because we play a weaker schedule through the year that allows our guys to develop and get better without getting exposed.
We will have challenges against BC, FSU...but we’re overall more talented than those teams and will be favored. Marvin Wilson might be the best individual defensive linemen we play against all year, but do we really think FSU has the personnel around him for it to make a real difference in the game?
If we play poorly then obviously we can lose, we know that. But looking down our regular season schedule, we’d have to play poorly to lose any of those games. I think that’s the case at Notre Dame as well. It can happen, of course, but Clemson has had as consistent and steady a team as any over the last decade.
As far as whether we will actually have football...who knows. Please know that I have no desire to have any debater whatsoever regarding the virus ITT. I don’t care if you think the government is infringing on your rights by asking you to wear a mask, I don’t care if you think its a Chinese conspiracy, I don’t care if you think we should all just go back to normal tomorrow and if old people die then who cares. I’m simply talking about the reality of the situation that football is in jeopardy.
Anyway. My guess is we will have football in some form. The season might be shortened or delayed. Or it might be with no fans or limited fans. I know some folks don’t like that but I’d accept no fans in the stands if it means we get football.
It would be weird, it would be different, it wouldn’t be nearly as fun or exciting. But it would be football. And to be honest I think it would be selfish of me to say, let’s take away Travis Etienne’s senior season just because it wouldn’t be as exciting for me. You know, let’s take away some of these guys’ last opportunity to better themselves for a potential NFL career just because it’s not as fun to watch because there aren’t any fans there.
And then part of it is selfish, right? Even if there’s no fans that doesn’t mean we can’t go win the trophy. I don’t want to lose out on a year where we are in a position to go win another national championship.
My guess is it will be messy and will vary from state to state. You’ll have a state that says you can have crowds at games, and then might go play in a state that says no crowds. There might be schools in states that don’t have football at all...then what do you do? Are those forfeits? I’d also wonder if there are programs that can afford to take on the cost of football season without the revenue from ticket sales. This would obviously more impact smaller schools.
But my vote is for football, in whatever form it may take, in 2020.
Go Tigers!
Clemson offense:
QB - Obviously everything starts with Trevor Lawrence. He’s the best pure passer in college football and damn near a lock to be the first player taken in the 2021 draft. I’ve seen some say Fields is a better QB, and Fields is very good to be sure, but Fields doesn’t have the same arm talent that Lawrence does and can’t make all of the throws Lawrence can. On top of that, Trevor is a physical prototype for the NFL. He’s a Peyton Manning clone at 6’6 and if scouts are 50/50 on 2 guys they will almost always defer to the preferred measurables.
Trevor struggled early last year, then got into a groove but didn’t play well against LSU. Personally I felt that we kind of set him up to fail by not committing more to a run game that was having success and asking him to win a shootout against one of the best offenses in college football history.
But Trevor figures to be even better in 2020. He’ll be a year more experienced, a year more knowledgeable, a year more physically mature. Nothing on planet earth can replace experience. And when you take one of the most talented players in the country and combine it with experience, its a recipe for a big year.
RB - So Etienne is back, of course. This was somewhat surprising, although it became clear in the weeks leading up to the LSU game that Travis had his mind made up to come back. This will obviously be a great boon to the running game in a year where will we be breaking in new starters along the OL. It was also help TL and the passing game as it retains balance in the offense.
Dixon continued to show flashes during his sophomore year and has put his impressive burst on display multiple times. He’ll be a #2 back in a year that he’s ready to be a #1. This again figures to help boost the running game. But like many here on the board, I’m anticipating a lot of frustration with limited carries for Travis as although Dixon is a solid back, there will likely still be a noticeable drop off when Etienne is out of the game.
Behind those two - just a plethora of backs that I’d probably put in a similar talent range - Dukes, Mellusi, Pryor. I’d anticipate Mellusi or Dukes or both hitting the portal eventually, particularly now that Shipley is in the....ship. I’d assume Pryor will get a redshirt - which doesn’t mean as much now days as he can still get some decent reps over 4 games.
Then there’s Bowman. A super talented freshman that is getting compared to CJ Spiller (blasphemy!). He’s an exciting player and a guy that will likely earn a lot of snaps as a freshman. Its probably fair to say that Mellusi and Dukes have been outrecruited. These are the type of “good problems” that elite programs have.
Digging into WR, the big story line to me here is 1) Can Ross recapture the magic he had as a freshman and 2) who’s going to step up as the #2 deep threat? Ross was stellar as a freshman but disappeared at times last year and was clearly banged up late in the year and not playing at his highest level in the playoff. I think he’s an ultra talented player that maybe got a bit of a big head and needs a bit of maturing. But that’s not uncommon for a 20 year old.
After him, who’s next? We know Rodgers is back but he’s not going to be a guy that can necessarily stretch the field the way Higgins could. Ngata is a guy that got some seriously high praise last year from the staff, and he will have his opportunity to really step up and be the type of player that he has been forecasted to be. Ladson showed some really big flashes last year and if he can develop some more consistency, he’ll certainly be a great weapon as well. Powell will provide some depth, and I’m betting Ajou will draw some depth snaps as well.
I believe we’re going to have to continue to work on getting Etienne involved in the passing game, as well as Dixon and Bowman. All are big threats in the open field and will help supplement our passing game as our OL grows over the course of the year.
At Tight End, man it sure is nice to have Galloway back. He made some nice plays against LSU and forced them to change how they were playing him. The lack of a good pass catching tight end has been glaring in our offense for a few years now, and having a guy that can create the kind of matchup problems that Galloway can will be a huge boost to our intermediate passing game, which was almost non-existent at times in 2019. It will be interesting to see how Galloway has grown as a blocker.
Our offense is primarily an 11 personnel offense, though the staff last year ran a lot more 10 personnel. I’d anticipate a move back to more 11 and even 12 personnel, with Galloway acting as a hybrid TE/WR while a second TE acts as a blocker. We don’t have a lot of great, developed depth at WR, but we have dependable and experienced backs with a lot of talent. As guys like Ngata and Ladson develop, and as the OL improves in their pass pro, you’ll see more spread personnel and more aggressive passing. I just think we’ll need to develop those guys over the course of the year and lean more on the guys we can depend on early and kind of scheme around the question marks at OL.
On the offensive line - this is where it gets a bit tricky, right?
Only one returning starter here and that’s Jackson Carman. Carman struggled as a freshman but showed great improvement as a sophomore. Still, he’s got a ways to go in terms of being consistent in his technique and continuing to transform his body. I worry a bit about him during the COVID shut down because he’ll have less guidance and less structure around him to help him with his development. I’m sure the coaches are checking on him and the other players constantly, but when you think about the absolute primary reason for the Reeves Complex, its to provide a singular location where the players can have all of their needs met. Jackson no longer has access to those resources like a ready made meal plan and so a lot of his success in 2020 will depend on his ability to be disciplined and accountable to himself over the summer.
That said, if he continues on the developmental track he showed last year, he’ll be in a position to have an outstanding year and develop into the caliber of player that many seem to think he already is. He’s a fantastic athlete with a lot of power, his issues are technique and balance. But the potential is certainly there.
Matt Bockhorst is ready to start. I thought he was ready to be a starter a year ago. Very physical at the point of attack and a big time “effort” guy. He won’t have the natural athleticism or power that Simpson had, but I think he’s better fundamentally and has a nasty streak to him that was kind of off and on in Simpson. I think we’ll be fine with Bockhorst.
The other guard spot is a bit a question mark. I think the assumption is that Putnam will be the day 1 starter and honestly I don’t know much about his game. I know he was highly recruited and there’s been a lot of positive feedback about him, but I haven’t seen him in games in really competitive situations. He’s a guy that will likely need development over the course of the year.
The other tackle spot will be McFadden and he has been a bit of a surprise. I thought he performed well last year in a backup role, but certainly still some growth needed there. But he’s shown more athleticism that I think was anticipated but I expect we’ll see some drop off there after losing Anchrum.
Center is the big trouble spot. Cade Stewart figures to be the number 1 guy there entering camp, and that’s a real bad news bears situation. Stewart is an old school, fire out, drive your man back kind of blocker, and unfortunately that’s just not what is required of today’s offensive linemen. He would have been a great player 30 years ago, but in today’s college football, he’s a serviceable depth player at best. He has the flexibility of a 2x4 and I don’t think he’s a good answer at center. So who is? I don’t really know. Hopefully one can develop during camp. Hell it may be a freshman.
It seems that all 5 of our freshmen OL will likely draw snaps, although a couple may eventually redshirt. I think Parks is the most ready to play of the 5 and will play a significant role for us this year. He really bulked up and looks more like a football player now and doesn’t seem to have lost his quality footwork. Great technician.
I also really like Mitchell Mayes and John Williams. Mayes is really athletic and comes from a high school that uses a lot of similar zone blocking schemes to what we use. Lots of power zone type blocking. Williams is just a mean guy, very physical, a bully on the field and that’s what you want in a lineman.
I think those 3 guys are most ready to play while Tucker and Tchio will need more development. Tucker will have to undergo a physical transformation and it seems Tchio has already begun that process and dropped a lot of weight. While that’s a good sign, I’d also throw up a caution that that’s only the first step in the process. Losing bad weight is great, but now he’s got to build back up with good weight. Remember when Quentez Ruffin slimmed way down and just could never get the weight back on and eventually quit football. That said, some of that had to do with Ruffin’s dedication and he certainly didn’t have the type of resources available that Tchio will.
The issue with Mayes, Williams, and Parks is they are all recruited as tackles. Mayes is I think a pure tackle just based on his frame, and Parks has great pass pro footwork and will need to be a tackle long term. But I could see Parks or Williams playing some inside to help provide depth there as needed.
We are paying the price in 2020 for some questionable recruiting practices from a numbers stand point along the OL. We should sign 3-5 OL every year and we simply haven’t done that and that’s what has created the gaps in depth we have now. But the good news is we’ve recruited some quality players there and this class in particular is very strong.
So some big question marks at OL, some development needed there. Some depth needed at WR. But an elite QB and a special RB can make all the difference and I think there’s enough good players there to be excited about the offense in 2020.
But for the love of all that is good in the world please give Etienne more touches.
Ok, Clemson defense.
So we’ve been kind of uniquely fortunate over the last few seasons to have great athletes like O’Daniel and of course Simmons to play these kind of hybrid LB/nickel safety positions but we won’t have that luxury anymore. I’d anticipate us moving to a more traditional 3 LB set and going into a more traditional nickel set with an additional DB. I’d also expect us to go back to more base 4-3 fronts, though I’m certain Venables will retain some of what we ran in 2019 as it was so effective and allows him to be more multiple.
DL - Like OL, a lot of young but exciting talent here. And with the DL there’s usually a better chance for these guys to have an immediate impact whereas OL usually requires more development.
I’ve been a proponent of Pinckney for some time and think he’s an undervalued player up front. He’s got great athleticism and slides off of blocks well. But he does lack size and power and doesn’t always hold up particularly well against a more power run game. He’s great at getting into gaps vs zone blocking but isn’t going to be a guy that pushes the OL into the backfield.
Jordan Williams is more of a power guy, he’s bigger and stronger. I think he developed well last year and got better as the year went on, but I’m not sure he has the type of athleticism he needs to be a really great player at this level. He’s a guy who has simply been outrecruited and I can’t foresee him drawing reps over the likes of Bresee or Capehart for very long.
The best returning player inside is Tyler Davis. Similar to Pinckney he’s a bit undersized but quick and athletic, however he seems to play with better leverage and power than Pinckney does and is better at taking on physical blockers and is thusly a more complete player.
Capehart I’m certain will play quite a bit. But the real superstar is Mr. Bresee. This guy is on another level. I could see him playing at a 5 technique, similar to how we would play Wilkins, kind of inside and out, but I think he’ll primarily be inside. He’s the total package, very powerful, great hands, I mean great hands for a guy his age. Knows how to get blockers off of him. I’d think he’ll have a Dexter Lawrence type impact - meaning that from game 1 he’ll be a significant player in our defense.
At end, you have to start with Xavier Thomas. He really regressed last year. I know there’s been some that have said he was out of position playing more inside with our 3 man front, and there’s probably some credence to that, but honestly Justin Foster managed to get pressures and sacks and he’s not the athlete Thomas is. He’s one of these guys that just has the world at his finger tips in terms of his talent profile, but he’s got to put it all together.
Many of the big plays he’s made have been plays where he’s been able to just out speed people, but he needs to work on getting off of blocks and being more physical at the point of attack. And to be honest, I didn’t see as much effort and energy from him in 2019 as I did in 2018. As a freshman he seemed to constantly be playing in an extra gear but last year he really downshifted. So hopefully he can get it going again because he’s got the potential to be elite.
Justin Foster has been a steady and reliable player for us. He doesn’t have the type of athleticism we’ve come to expect from our ends, but he’s been a solid player who has steadily improved year over year. The loss of Rudolph hurts from a depth stand point, but I think Henry will be ready to step into a larger role. He started to come on more last season as he got more confident in his role. He does need to bulk up a bit, but he’ll be in a position to play quite a bit in 2020. Murphy figures to draw some snaps at end as well, and between Mascoll and Ruke, we’ll have to see who develops there.
LB - 281-330-8004 - it’s time to hit Mike Jones up! Lots of question marks at LB this year, certainly going to need some lesser experienced guys to step up. Skalski is the rock here, and a lot of people, myself included, were hoping to see Spector get an increased role last season. He’s got a nose for the football and played well in his role last year. Of course Mike Jones will finally get a chance to make us all remember his name.
Beyond that, there’s Venables, who is a solid guy, good player, but lacks some of the athleticism of the guys behind him. Bunch of second year guys like Constantin, Patterson, Maguire who figure to flesh out the depth chart and of course I’d be stunned if Simpson didn’t draw some solid snaps.
So similar deal here as we have at OL. Some first year starters and inexperienced guys down the depth chart. We’ve got some good players there though and we’ve just got to see who rises to the occasion and develops into a player this fall.
DB - We’ve recruited a lot of high profile corners over the last couple of years and that’s not even counting DK who proved to be pretty solid in that spot in his first year. One can only believe he’ll be much improved after a year’s worth of snaps at the position, and then here we are again. Who’s going to be the young guy that steps up and delivers? Goodrich? Booth? Fred Davis? My money is on Booth being the 2nd guy and then we’ll see how things fill out down the depth chart.
I don’t even know what to expect at safety. Turner obviously will be back there. Zanders? Phillips? Charleston? Mickens? Who’s the next guy?
So you can see there’s a bit of a theme here. We’re going to need a lot of guys who haven’t been on the big stage yet to step up and develop and turn into the players we recruited them to be.
To me though, these are good question marks. The question at corner isn’t “are we going to be good enough?” We’ve recruited extremely well, we have good players, the question is “which of these good players is going to step up and be the guy?” Same question at multiple positions. When you recruit elite players, you don’t have to lose sleep over wondering if you have elite players. You just have to get them developed and in a position to go play.
Offensive line is the most concerning position to me simply because we’re extremely thin there and if these freshmen OL come in and aren’t able to play well early, then we’re an injury away from a big problem out there.
But looking through the schedule, who is there to really challenge us over the season as we develop and grow? Our program has been outstanding at peaking at the right time and (please don’t hit me) part of that is because we play a weaker schedule through the year that allows our guys to develop and get better without getting exposed.
We will have challenges against BC, FSU...but we’re overall more talented than those teams and will be favored. Marvin Wilson might be the best individual defensive linemen we play against all year, but do we really think FSU has the personnel around him for it to make a real difference in the game?
If we play poorly then obviously we can lose, we know that. But looking down our regular season schedule, we’d have to play poorly to lose any of those games. I think that’s the case at Notre Dame as well. It can happen, of course, but Clemson has had as consistent and steady a team as any over the last decade.
As far as whether we will actually have football...who knows. Please know that I have no desire to have any debater whatsoever regarding the virus ITT. I don’t care if you think the government is infringing on your rights by asking you to wear a mask, I don’t care if you think its a Chinese conspiracy, I don’t care if you think we should all just go back to normal tomorrow and if old people die then who cares. I’m simply talking about the reality of the situation that football is in jeopardy.
Anyway. My guess is we will have football in some form. The season might be shortened or delayed. Or it might be with no fans or limited fans. I know some folks don’t like that but I’d accept no fans in the stands if it means we get football.
It would be weird, it would be different, it wouldn’t be nearly as fun or exciting. But it would be football. And to be honest I think it would be selfish of me to say, let’s take away Travis Etienne’s senior season just because it wouldn’t be as exciting for me. You know, let’s take away some of these guys’ last opportunity to better themselves for a potential NFL career just because it’s not as fun to watch because there aren’t any fans there.
And then part of it is selfish, right? Even if there’s no fans that doesn’t mean we can’t go win the trophy. I don’t want to lose out on a year where we are in a position to go win another national championship.
My guess is it will be messy and will vary from state to state. You’ll have a state that says you can have crowds at games, and then might go play in a state that says no crowds. There might be schools in states that don’t have football at all...then what do you do? Are those forfeits? I’d also wonder if there are programs that can afford to take on the cost of football season without the revenue from ticket sales. This would obviously more impact smaller schools.
But my vote is for football, in whatever form it may take, in 2020.
Go Tigers!
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