AUGUST CAMP: 5 Burning Questions
By: Larry Williams & Paul Strelow
Five burning questions as Clemson kicks off August camp this afternoon:
What's the impact of Lannden Zanders' retirement from football?
You really feel for Zanders, who busted his tail last year to get back before re-injuring his shoulder in the opener against Georgia and missing the season. He's by all accounts a good kid whose career ended prematurely, and we wish him the best.
Safeties coach Mickey Conn finds himself flush with talent and experience even after the departure of Nolan Turner. The return of star Andrew Mukuba, Jalyn Phillips, Tyler Venables and R.J. Mickens leaves Conn with some flexibility even after Zanders' decision.
2021 freshman All-American Andrew Mukuba is one of the top players at his position in the Atlantic Coast Conference. (Tigerillustrated.com)
And speaking of Venables, his surprising decision to remain instead of following his father to Oklahoma sure seems a bit more important now, no?
There's a caveat to the safety depth, though: Mukuba is an option to play corner if that position suffers any type of attrition after the loss of Andrew Booth and Mario Goodrich. He's also so good near the line of scrimmage that he seems a tantalizing candidate to be in the picture at nickel.
And those circumstances shine a brighter light on the development of Phillips, who seems to get overshadowed in the haze of high-level talent this defense boasts.
Phillips has come a long way, and that progress could be showcased now. Last year he started six games when Turner was injured, and now he's poised to solidify that spot at free safety.
Here's the head coach's take on Phillips: "He's been a good player and he's started some games for us, but he's just really kind of come into his own as a fourth-year guy." -- LARRY WILLIAMS
Can Antonio Williams make an early impact, even as a summer-enrolled freshman?
On the surface the odds appear stacked against him because there are some experienced guys ahead of him (Brannon Spector, Will Taylor, E.J. Williams) who are going to compete at the slot position.
But goodness, turn on the kid's high-school film and it's hard not to be bullish on his chances of finding his way onto the field sooner rather than later.
Sometimes playmakers just jump off the screen, and Williams does. He's so fluid and explosive, such a natural with the ball in his hands. He seems to hit another gear when he finds the open field and sees the end zone.
We're not making any predictions about how soon he'll be in position to do something special, but he's on our radar for sure as this offense looks to find playmakers and confidence. -- LARRY WILLIAMS
How does Wes Goodwin juggle experience with potential at linebacker?
Trenton Simpson sliding to WILL linebacker opens the door for Barrett Carter to get on the field, and we're interested to see if he evolves into more of a playmaker with a greater role this season.
Former five-star recruit Trenton Simpson contemplated a transfer last winter following Brent Venables' departure. (Tigerillustrated.com)
Yet having Simpson inside further complicates things for a pair of veterans in LaVonta Bentley and Keith Maguire, both of whom have waited their turns awhile for this opportunity.
Jeremiah Trotter looms as a player the staff wants to bring along now.
The coaches have harped a lot on this linebacker crew bringing more athleticism to the table than the Tigers have had in years. Part of that reflects former coordinator Brent Venables' taste in personnel and priority skill sets.
Part, though, is that Carter and Trotter join Simpson in giving Clemson a linebacker profile that puts the group among the most promising nationally. -- PAUL STRELOW
How much to read into Dietrick Pennington's weigh-in?
Gotta be honest here: It's hard to see how 360 pounds inspires a lot of confidence that Pennington is on the verge of challenging for a starting job at right guard.
We're not sounding alarms over his weight gain of 20-plus pounds, but it doesn't make sense to just gloss over it either.
The surface-level view of Clemson night now of course ranks quarterback as the biggest question facing this team. And justifiably so, for the most part.
Yet it's our belief that if this defense is as ferocious and unforgiving as it appears to be on paper, then the quarterback won't have to be great for this team to get back to high achievement.
Over the past couple of weeks, it's become more and more apparent to us that right guard ranks right up there as an issue that needs to be sorted out -- and one that's extremely hard to predict.
The two most likely candidates are Bryn Tucker and Mitchell Mayes, but Pennington brings the most intrigue because of the promise he showed last year before tearing his ACL.
When we got our first look at the freshman during last year's August camp, our first impression was he looked like what an offensive lineman was supposed to look like.
Can talented guard Dietrick Pennington be starting material carrying 360 pounds? (Tigerillustrated.com)
During this spring and summer, the biggest question about him was of course how quickly he could come back from such an injury. But you also wondered how much of a sense of urgency he'd show to keep his body in the type of shape necessary to competing for significant snaps.
It's safe to say he has some work to do, that's for sure. -- LARRY WILLIAMS
Does one of the young defensive linemen climb into the equation?
The top four ends -- Myles Murphy, Xavier Thomas, K.J. Henry and Justin Mascoll -- have played a lot of ball. Clemson boasts three all-conference caliber tackles in Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro, and a potentially healthy Tre Williams wouldn't represent much of a drop-off.
Injury can change the complexion in a hurry, but as circumstances stand, there doesn't appear much vacancy within the two-deep rotation.
But this is an important month for elevating second- and third-year players, and Clemson has several that it will figure to depend on heavily come the 2023 sesaon. So getting strides this camp matters.
Can Kevin Swint close the gap to No. 4 defensive end? Ends coach Lemanski Hall has expressed the need to get Swint and Greg Williams relevant snaps to advance their development. And one has to think that if Zaire Patterson or Cade Denhoff is going to be a factor next season, they have to at least approach the conversation at some point this season.
At defensive tackle, Payton Page has turned heads with his spring game performance and physical makeover over the last year. Can he force Nick Eason's hand to wedge him into the rotation with veteran Etinosa Reuben also vying for snaps? Then there's the case of De'Monte Capehart, who looks to finally move past a wave of health setbacks and build on the flashes he's shown might be possible when fit and healthy. -- PAUL STRELOW
With availability today, Tigerillustrated.com will have much more from campus later this afternoon and again into the early-evening hours.
SHOP for officially-licensed Clemson gear at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
By: Larry Williams & Paul Strelow
Five burning questions as Clemson kicks off August camp this afternoon:
What's the impact of Lannden Zanders' retirement from football?
You really feel for Zanders, who busted his tail last year to get back before re-injuring his shoulder in the opener against Georgia and missing the season. He's by all accounts a good kid whose career ended prematurely, and we wish him the best.
Safeties coach Mickey Conn finds himself flush with talent and experience even after the departure of Nolan Turner. The return of star Andrew Mukuba, Jalyn Phillips, Tyler Venables and R.J. Mickens leaves Conn with some flexibility even after Zanders' decision.
2021 freshman All-American Andrew Mukuba is one of the top players at his position in the Atlantic Coast Conference. (Tigerillustrated.com)
And speaking of Venables, his surprising decision to remain instead of following his father to Oklahoma sure seems a bit more important now, no?
There's a caveat to the safety depth, though: Mukuba is an option to play corner if that position suffers any type of attrition after the loss of Andrew Booth and Mario Goodrich. He's also so good near the line of scrimmage that he seems a tantalizing candidate to be in the picture at nickel.
And those circumstances shine a brighter light on the development of Phillips, who seems to get overshadowed in the haze of high-level talent this defense boasts.
Phillips has come a long way, and that progress could be showcased now. Last year he started six games when Turner was injured, and now he's poised to solidify that spot at free safety.
Here's the head coach's take on Phillips: "He's been a good player and he's started some games for us, but he's just really kind of come into his own as a fourth-year guy." -- LARRY WILLIAMS
Can Antonio Williams make an early impact, even as a summer-enrolled freshman?
On the surface the odds appear stacked against him because there are some experienced guys ahead of him (Brannon Spector, Will Taylor, E.J. Williams) who are going to compete at the slot position.
But goodness, turn on the kid's high-school film and it's hard not to be bullish on his chances of finding his way onto the field sooner rather than later.
Sometimes playmakers just jump off the screen, and Williams does. He's so fluid and explosive, such a natural with the ball in his hands. He seems to hit another gear when he finds the open field and sees the end zone.
We're not making any predictions about how soon he'll be in position to do something special, but he's on our radar for sure as this offense looks to find playmakers and confidence. -- LARRY WILLIAMS
How does Wes Goodwin juggle experience with potential at linebacker?
Trenton Simpson sliding to WILL linebacker opens the door for Barrett Carter to get on the field, and we're interested to see if he evolves into more of a playmaker with a greater role this season.
Former five-star recruit Trenton Simpson contemplated a transfer last winter following Brent Venables' departure. (Tigerillustrated.com)
Yet having Simpson inside further complicates things for a pair of veterans in LaVonta Bentley and Keith Maguire, both of whom have waited their turns awhile for this opportunity.
Jeremiah Trotter looms as a player the staff wants to bring along now.
The coaches have harped a lot on this linebacker crew bringing more athleticism to the table than the Tigers have had in years. Part of that reflects former coordinator Brent Venables' taste in personnel and priority skill sets.
Part, though, is that Carter and Trotter join Simpson in giving Clemson a linebacker profile that puts the group among the most promising nationally. -- PAUL STRELOW
How much to read into Dietrick Pennington's weigh-in?
Gotta be honest here: It's hard to see how 360 pounds inspires a lot of confidence that Pennington is on the verge of challenging for a starting job at right guard.
We're not sounding alarms over his weight gain of 20-plus pounds, but it doesn't make sense to just gloss over it either.
The surface-level view of Clemson night now of course ranks quarterback as the biggest question facing this team. And justifiably so, for the most part.
Yet it's our belief that if this defense is as ferocious and unforgiving as it appears to be on paper, then the quarterback won't have to be great for this team to get back to high achievement.
Over the past couple of weeks, it's become more and more apparent to us that right guard ranks right up there as an issue that needs to be sorted out -- and one that's extremely hard to predict.
The two most likely candidates are Bryn Tucker and Mitchell Mayes, but Pennington brings the most intrigue because of the promise he showed last year before tearing his ACL.
When we got our first look at the freshman during last year's August camp, our first impression was he looked like what an offensive lineman was supposed to look like.
Can talented guard Dietrick Pennington be starting material carrying 360 pounds? (Tigerillustrated.com)
During this spring and summer, the biggest question about him was of course how quickly he could come back from such an injury. But you also wondered how much of a sense of urgency he'd show to keep his body in the type of shape necessary to competing for significant snaps.
It's safe to say he has some work to do, that's for sure. -- LARRY WILLIAMS
Does one of the young defensive linemen climb into the equation?
The top four ends -- Myles Murphy, Xavier Thomas, K.J. Henry and Justin Mascoll -- have played a lot of ball. Clemson boasts three all-conference caliber tackles in Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro, and a potentially healthy Tre Williams wouldn't represent much of a drop-off.
Injury can change the complexion in a hurry, but as circumstances stand, there doesn't appear much vacancy within the two-deep rotation.
But this is an important month for elevating second- and third-year players, and Clemson has several that it will figure to depend on heavily come the 2023 sesaon. So getting strides this camp matters.
Can Kevin Swint close the gap to No. 4 defensive end? Ends coach Lemanski Hall has expressed the need to get Swint and Greg Williams relevant snaps to advance their development. And one has to think that if Zaire Patterson or Cade Denhoff is going to be a factor next season, they have to at least approach the conversation at some point this season.
At defensive tackle, Payton Page has turned heads with his spring game performance and physical makeover over the last year. Can he force Nick Eason's hand to wedge him into the rotation with veteran Etinosa Reuben also vying for snaps? Then there's the case of De'Monte Capehart, who looks to finally move past a wave of health setbacks and build on the flashes he's shown might be possible when fit and healthy. -- PAUL STRELOW
With availability today, Tigerillustrated.com will have much more from campus later this afternoon and again into the early-evening hours.
SHOP for officially-licensed Clemson gear at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
