College BattleGround - Forum: Clemson Hot Topics

College BattleGround on Thoughts in Brief: Clemson

Sun, 08 Oct 2017 14:46:50 -0400

I don’t know if Kendall Hinton should start, but it’s irritatingly enough of a question that I’m not sure. Hinton was 14/30 for 204 yards and two touchdowns, with no picks and 92 yards rushing including a nice 37 yard scramble. It was a pretty darn good performance against quite probably the best defense we’ll play all season.
Speaking of defense, our defense had a rather admirable showing. After back to back touchdowns to start the game, Clemson didn’t score again until the third quarter. If our offense had been able to keep up, this game could have been very interesting. The defense was pretty darn stout, and we were +2 in turnover margin, which is always nice to see.
I really hope Kelly Bryant isn’t too badly hurt. I never like to see anyone go down, especially not a player as fun to watch as Kelly Bryant,
I feel for Mike Weaver. Shame they couldn’t review that field goal attempt. That is absolutely something that should be reviewable.
I don’t want to put all of our scoring woes on the offense. Some off it is honestly the fact that Clemson’s defense is just that good. None of our receivers could get any space all day, and the Clemson front 7 is as nasty as any in the nation. Some people might say Greg Dortch disappeared, but seriously, the guy was covered all day ass well as anyone could possibly be covered.
I still have faith we can make a bowl. I think we CAN beat anyone left on our schedule, with Duke and Syracuse being the most likely opportunities to pick it up. But I wouldn’t even call Georgia Tech a prohibitive favorite next week. A favorite, absolutely, but not a prohibitive one.
I’m glad our bye week is now. It will give our defense a chance to prepare for the option attack of Georgia Tech, and hopefully some of our banged up players will get a chance to get healthy and ready to go. I’m almost looking at this bye week as a soft reset of the season, and I hope our team does too. The first half of the season was pretty much everything that could be expected, so let’s see if, for a change of pace, we can finish out the season strong as opposed to limping our way home.
People might think both of our touchdowns were inconsequential because they were against the reserves of Clemson, but honestly, the reserves of Clemson are going to be as good as a lot of the first stringers on other teams. We’ll see what happens, but I’m certainly not writing off the season by any means.

Did I miss anything? Talk to me in the comment section. Hopefully next week will be back to your regularly scheduled 4U4D programming.. On to the next. Go Deacs.

—-SF

College BattleGround on 5-Star DE Prospect Xavier Thomas Announces Commitment to Clemson

Sat, 08 Apr 2017 08:15:41 -0400

Credit: Scout.com

Adam WellsFeatured ColumnistApril 8, 2017

Xavier Thomas, one of the top defensive end recruits in the 2018 class, will play college football at Clemson University.

He announced his pledge to the Tigers on social media Saturday morning:

Xavier Thomas 1️⃣9️⃣ @atxlete

Biggest decision of my lifetime, my recruitment is OVER. I'm 100% ALL IN ‼️🐅🐾 This is only the beginning #WE2DEEP18 @ETitusThomas https://t.co/RQJ7tr32BY

4/8/2017, 2:54:19 PM

The rise of dominant pass-rushers at every level of football has changed the game, with teams looking to get more versatile and athletic up front to attack the quarterback.

Thomas has all the tools schools look for in dominant defensive linemen. According to Scout, he's a 5-star prospect, the No. 1 defensive end from his home state of Florida, the No. 2 player at his position overall and the No. 6 player in the 2018 class.

Its scouting report for Thomas is just as glowing as those ratings indicate:

Thomas is a force at defensive end. He has an explosive first step and is extremely athletic. Thomas plays fast, but under control. He has a high football I.Q. and does a great job of putting himself in position to make plays. He is also relentless and takes good angles when pursuing the football. He needs to continue to improve his technique and develop some moves, but he's undoubtedly one of the top players in the country regardless of class and has a chance to be a special player at the collegiate level.

The fact Thomas can still tweak things like his technique and vary his moves speaks to how high his already-large ceiling is.

It's hardly a surprise he chose to play for head coach Dabo Swinney. The Tigers have been arguably the nation's best program for the last three seasons, playing in two national title games and winning over the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

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Beyond the team's overall performance, the Tigers have done an outstanding job of finding and developing talent on the defensive line. When Vic Beasley Jr. left after the 2014 season, Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd replaced him. After that, Christian Wilkins, Carlos Watkins and Dexter Lawrence took over.

Swinney has an embarrassment of riches to play with now, as Thomas is just another elite edge-rusher he can use to overwhelm opposing quarterbacks and shut down the running game.

Defensive players don't come in much better packages. Thomas is 6'3" and 263 pounds with room to add more bulk to his frame, but he's already strong enough to compete against offensive linemen at the next level.

As Thomas gains experience, he is going to be one of the most dominant and imposing forces in college football.

For more news, rumors and related stories about the future of Tigers football, check out the college football recruiting and Clemson streams on Bleacher Report's app.

College BattleGround on Jake Venables Commits to Clemson

Sun, 18 Dec 2016 10:02:52 -0500

2018 LB Jake Venables (6’1, 210) of DW Daniel HS, SC just committed to the Clemson Tigers. Venables is the son of current defensive coordinator Brent Venables. This should not be how he is defined as a player, however. Jake Venables is a legit Division One caliber athlete. He had committable offers from Texas Tech, Northwestern, and SMU, in addition to Clemson. Venables is ranked as a composite high 3* prospect and number 387 overall (the four stars cut off at number 311).

What they get: Venables plays with good technique. He plays as an OLB at Daniel and shows solid positioning in pass coverage. Understands where he needs to be and body positioning. He strikes hard at the point of attack and doesn’t hesitate to wrap-up and drive through a ball carrier. He possesses good length and wingspan for the LB position. He diagnosis plays well and usually takes solid angles to the ball. He has worked to add strength this past year, putting on good size during his junior year.

Off the field, there is nothing to dislike. Not a thing. Works hard in the classroom, on the field, and will be a positive contribution to the locker room (I mean that seriously, he is a grinder and already a beta-Power Ranger, just a quality young man). This should not be considered a ‘charity’ offer in any way. The easy comparison is to Spencer Shuey, and I do think his career trajectory could follow Shuey’s, but Venables has a bit more length (different body types) and better technique than Shuey at this point.

What does he need to work on? The 4.6 40 time is generous. He will need to improve his sideline to sideline speed. At the high school level he is instinctual and can get away with a lack of speed but it will need to improve in college. He also isn’t a very quick twitch athlete. He needs to work on being more explosive in short spaces. This doesn’t impact his tackling or tackling form, where he shows good strength and explosion, but his change of direction in short spaces will need to improve. Unless this improves, he will need to stick inside and gain another 10-15 pounds.

The other added bonus is that Brent Venables might want to stick around a little longer to coach his son. This doesn’t mean that anything is set in stone, but it doesn’t hurt either. Congrats to Jake Venables and the Venables family.

College BattleGround on The Oculus Falls: Pittsburgh Defeats Clemson

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 09:41:27 -0500

The Oculus has fallen for the first time.

I was going to write a post that was doom and gloom, scorch the earth kind of post. Then Washington lost and Michigan inexplicably bit the dust. That made me feel better. I’m trying to have perspective and remind myself that it has been an amazing ride—and Clemson is still in prime position to make the playoff, if not controlling their own destiny.

I’ll begin and end with this reminder—Beat Wake (not one team went undefeated last year, even Bama lost once last year).

But make no mistake, this was a tough game to watch. We played horribly against NC State and deserved to lose that game because of turnovers, but this is the first game where the defense got beat. This is the first time this season that the defense got out-schemed and the first time in a long time where we got beat up front on both sides of the ball for a lot of the game. How can a team with this much talent lose to Pitt (and really should have lost to NC State)?

POSITIVES

If the committee sticks to its criteria, Clemson is still in the playoff. We have a head-to-head victory against Louisville and we will ultimately have a conference championship over them if we win out. Michigan and Ohio State still have to play each other and Washington has an awful OOC schedule (the committee already penalized the Huskies for in Week 2 of the rankings). I think UW will drop another game, probably the Apple Cup to Washington State. AP and Coaches poll voters are not making reasoned logical decisions when they rank Louisville ahead of Clemson. Louisville’s coastal foes have been UVA and Duke—both have losing records. GT and Pitt have winning records. Marshall and Charlotte have losing records. How is this even a discussion? Beat Houston and Kentucky and then maybe you have some semblance of an argument—not now.

Win out and we should be in per the committee protocol of valuing head to head and conference championships. Clemson also has 4 AP top 25 victories, more than any undefeated or one loss team. Things get weird if Penn State gets in the mix or the ridiculous Oklahoma love reaches a fever pitch. Still, Pitt beat Penn State and Oklahoma doesn’t have a championship game.

The real question is whether or not Clemson can beat Wake, USCjr, and VT.

Let’s try to remember this down the road. Clemson can be beaten by any team, any week. I backed off of saying anything because I thought the blowout against Syracuse proved that we were going to out talent everyone on the remaining schedule. Looking at the game now, I think we had a superior defensive wrinkle and benefited from the injury to their starting QB. This team has significant flaws.

When in doubt, just throw it up to Mike Williams already. If you are going to throw it in the endzone, put it up in back corner to MW.

Sorry, those are all my positives.

NEGATIVES

Oline

Lack of an interior run game. Lack of a run game.

I thought we went away from the run game a bit too much and should have tried to loosen up the interior with some more runs to the perimeter—quick pitches, jet sweeps, etc. You just can’t throw 70 times. Obviously, the DW injury hampered the run game, which really hurts our offense because our Oline can’t block anyone in the A gap without the zone read threat. But the reality is when we needed a yard, a single yard up the middle—we couldn’t find it. We haven’t found it all year and it ain’t the RB.

What is the problem? One problem is a predictable scheme and play calling. We need to pay someone a lot of money to help ScElliott with breaking tendencies and coming up with some creative new plays and packages. Elliott seemed to revolutionize the offense when he made his splash against Oklahoma and last year the stripped down scheme worked because we had more talent and folks didn’t adjust. Well, they had all offseason to key on what Clemson was doing. We have not adjusted.

Might I suggest we steal the Canada Pitch right away and implement it against Wake. Pitt runs the same jet motion that Clemson used to run (we used to have more eye candy and motions and shifts like Pitt used against us but we totally stripped that away).

The next problem is the interior line players. We had some hiccups in the game with two freshman tackles starting (can we please have a recruiting class of more than 15-16 players!! Can we not get it up to at least 18??), but the problem was once again the interior of the line getting no push. On the most important play of the game, fourth and 1, who falls down once again flat on the ground—allowing his man to go and make the tackle? I can remember at least 5 short yardage falls/fails. Its unacceptable. Hearn should start splitting reps with Simpson.

The Leggett blocking was bad.

Remember when our line was supposed to be one of the best in the country?? Laughable. We are 86th in the country in rushing. That is bad and then you add in all the penalties. Holding calls and hands to the face from Morris. Just a bunch of miscues.

Rest of the Offense

We threw a ton and caught a lot of balls, but we also had some easy catches that were dropped. RayRay had one on an easy third down late in the second half go right through his hands. Scott juggled a couple down the field. MW and Cain both had a drop. We were awesome on offense until the 4th quarter, don’t get me wrong, but we still shouldn’t be dropping easy balls if we are truly WRU.

How could we not score in the 4th Q after Pitt’s best secondary player Whitehead went down to a gruesome injury with 10 minutes left in the 3rd Q? Can’t get the ball kicked to the plus side of the field, the 40 and not turn it into points at the beginning of the 4th.

RayRay can’t give up field position on those punts.

How about this, on the first and goal play before the interception, Gallman is stacked up in a giant pile. Clemson could have collectively moved the pile (everyone can push the pile in college football, QBs, TEs, WRs, everyone) and Gallman falls forward to the 2 yard line, but Pitt stood us up. Pitt was stronger and more physical than our offense.

Refs

Here it is. The worst call of the season.

Watching the Pittsburgh game again, and wow, that's a tough holding call on K'Von Wallace to extend the drive. https://t.co/nGEV1TcmAb

— Dear Old Clemson (@DearOldClemson) November 15, 2016

I’m not even going to talk about the Boulware call (a product of hypersensitivity after the suplex) or some of the other questionable PIs. The above is one of the worst calls I have seen in a really long time.

ACC crews, after the Louisville game and the Petrino whining about the refs, believe that the Clemson secondary commits a lot of pass interference. As if the book it out or something. We play too physical and don’t get the benefit of the doubt on calls. The Fields hold, the Smith PI, Tank PI, etc. all borderline calls and the players must adjust (of course this wasn’t going both ways and Clemson can point to Renfrow being held in the endzone as an equally egregious no-call). But, man, so many 3rd down calls...wow...

The above Wallace call is indefensible.

This was the same crew who called our GT game. I don’t think some of those refs should be calling games at the Div. 1 level (to be clear, it is a couple of refs on the crew and not the entire crew, and no I’m not getting into the conspiracy theories swirling—if you watch the crew multiple weeks, it’s just bad refereeing). I think the ACC should look into dismantling the crew at the very least (and I will leave it at that).

Defense

No one could stop the shovel pass. It really isn’t on the DE who is playing the QB and pitch. The Safety is in a tight spot because they have to stay disciplined on the back end but must attack immediately when the pitch happens. LBs must recognize when the Olineman kick out and not get blocked.

It is not like the TE or FB were more athletic than our guys. We just got out-schemed and our guys couldn’t adjust in-game. OC Canada, to his credit, didn’t run the play once or twice, but kept going back to the well.

We got the reason why Muse isn’t playing more, busted coverage on the second Pitt TD. If it wasn’t him it was Joseph’s responsibility.

Overall the linebackers looked horrid. If it wasn’t Ben Boulware looking completely lost in coverage, it was Boulware and Joseph getting caught in the wash or ineffectively blitzing (the TE got a bit of a push-off on the TD catch to be fair to Boulware). I think it is time to explore more Dime looks that get Boulware off the field in passing downs. Joseph lost the TE on the 4th down TD before the half (either it was him or Jadar or both).

Can we not cover a quick TE screen to the flat??

Van Smith also had a bad game. He had a ton of awful run fits and was getting confused with some of Pitt’s looks. I’m hoping that Jadar Johnson was just feeling the effects of the calf injury because he got beat in the open field a few too many times.

The defensive line was pretty good but gave up a ton of yards on the ground. You have to acknowledge that Connor is a great back, but I can see some of the younger guys hitting the wall. Albert Huggins needs to stop eating snacks if he wants to play.

Coaching

I’ve already gone after both staffs, but Dabo has rightly accepted a lot of the blame. I don’t understand the third down and fourth down calls or the play design though. On the third and one play, you have Leggett and Milan Richard as your primary blockers in the hole. Leggett misses his block and Richard gets pushed back a yard. The only person sustaining a block is Garrett Williams on the outside. Then on fourth down you get a toss stretch play where Wilkins gets to block the smallest guy on the field and everyone else can’t even lock on a man. Leggett gives bad effort, Hearn falls, Williams is on the other side of the play and can’t do anything. If you go jumbo, put them in the phone booth. How about we slip Leggett out down the field on that play? All 11 men on defense were at the line of scrimmage. How about a bootleg there for a one yard QB run? How about we use the jumbo on third down and punt it on fourth?

Just a frustrating outcome for a team busting at the seams with talent.

But, hey, according to GA folks we lead for White and TL. Its not all bad.

Yeah. Time to move on. Beat Wake (remember, not one team went undefeated last year, even Bama lost once last year).

College BattleGround on Clemson’s Hunter Renfrow Out with Broken Hand

Mon, 12 Sep 2016 19:13:47 -0400

Renfrow makes exceptional TD grab against Troy. - Photo by Tyler Smith/Getty Images

In a crushing blow to Clemson’s underachieving wide receiver corps, Hunter Renfrow was diagnosed with a broken bone in his hand.

As first reported by TigerNet, Hunter Renfrow suffered a broken hand during Clemson’s week 2 contest against Troy. After making an acrobatic touchdown catch, his second of the season, he crumpled to the ground. He eventually got up and appeared okay, but it was likely this play (pictured above) during which he was injured.

Clemson will now rely more heavily on Deon Cain and to a lesser extent on Trevion Thompson and Cornell Powell. Clemson’s receiving corps came into the season hyped as the best in the nation. They will now have to prove their depth.

He will miss important games against Georgia Tech and Louisville, but may return in time for Florida State.

College BattleGround on Clemson vs. Auburn: Tigers Survive Scare

Sun, 04 Sep 2016 08:02:38 -0400

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The longest possible college football off-season has to be the one endured by the team that lost in the national championship game the year before. For Clemson and its fans, that off-season finally ended tonight on the road in a tough match-up with Auburn. My initial reaction is welcome back Mike Williams, and hello big Dexter Lawrence.

The Clemson offense is loaded with talent, but they got off to a slow start. Deshaun Watson looked a bit rusty tonight. Eventually they found their rhythm and were able to move the ball when they remembered that they had this wide receiver named Mike Williams. He made several plays on a touchdown drive in the second quarter that ended with Wayne Gallman waltzing into the end zone behind the 650+ pounds of Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins. Even if opposing teams know what’s coming, I doubt Clemson will have any trouble converting 3rd-and-1 or 4th-and-1 situations this season. On the next series Big Dex showed how freakishly athletic he is for weighing nearly 350 pounds by chasing down the Auburn QB for a sack.

In the second half, Clemson fans were probably having flashbacks to last year’s national championship game when Auburn appeared to have a long kickoff return, but an Auburn penalty negated it. The defense held, and in Clemson’s first offensive series, Williams made a beautiful catch, with Wayne Gallman making a great blitz pickup block. The drive sputtered, and placeholder Seth Ryan made an impressive hold on a high snap to allow Greg Huegel to salvage the drive with a field goal.

The defenses continued to play well, with Jadar Johnson making a touchdown-saving interception, but on the ensuing series Deshaun made a bad throw that was picked off. The Clemson defense came through with a great 4th-and-1 stop to shut down another Auburn drive.

In the 4th quarter, Clemson had a good drive going but Mike Williams, in one of the very few miscues on his part in this game, dropped a sure touchdown. But Mr. Hands, Hunter Renfrow, made a great catch in the end zone, facilitated by another great blitz pickup by Gallman, to put six points on the board.

Bad coverage mistakes and penalties by Clemson on the next Auburn drive allowed them to move down the field. Big Dex showed just how difficult he will make life for opposing offenses when he stuffed a double-team block and stopped a 3rd down conversion by Auburn. Unfortunately, bad pass coverage allowed Auburn to make the 4th down conversion. Ben Boulware ended the Auburn drive with an interception.

On the next Auburn drive, Boulware committed a roughing the passer penalty that a senior defensive leader simply should not make, and Auburn scored on the next play, making for a very tense last few minutes of the game. Clemson was able to move the ball down the field, punctuated by a great catch by Williams and a good run by Gallman (assisted by a good downfield block from Williams), but they weren’t able to run out the clock. The Clemson defense came through on Auburn’s final possession, in particular Jadar Johnson, to keep the offense out of the end zone and preserve the victory for Clemson.

Look for detailed analyses on STS in the coming days, but Clemson has a few things to work on next week. There were many good things in the game, but also many mistakes. Fortunately, they were able to go into a very hostile environment and come away with a win against a good Auburn team. The offense showed flashes of dominance, but still needs to work on a few things. Coming into this season, the big questions were on the defensive side of the ball, but the Tiger defense played well. They too have a few things to work on, but overall they showed that they can be a strength for the team this season. With a tough win on the road, the Tigers are off to a good, if shaky, start.

College BattleGround on Why Clemson Will Drop 2....

Sat, 03 Sep 2016 05:40:28 -0400

Dabo and the tigers have done a great job of building a powerhouse in the ACC not named FSU. Recruiting has been top notch and the play on the field has also been picked up a couple notches. Led by Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson, Clemson will have a top 5 offense this year. However, I think FSU will get Clemson this year. I don't think FSU is the better team but i do think that the stadium in Tallahassee will be rocking off the hinges. Tomahawks will be thrown from every direction and the Noles will get their payback. That's not it. I think Clemson will drop another one. I think Clemson will go into Atlanta sleepwalking and looking forward to the "bigger" game at home the following week against Louisville. That's right, I'm calling it now. The Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech will come out on top this year against Clemson. I feel like Clemson will come into that game not focused like they should be. Clemson will beat themselves against Tech. Once again Clemson will leave the state of Georgia defeated. I don't see Clemson losing any other game this year. I think they'll blow Auburn out of the water and I feel bad for Louisville because they will be dealing with Clemson after the Georgia Tech upset. Sorry Clemson but you're dropping 2 this year and just going to miss the College Football Playoffs.

Written By: CBG Founder

College BattleGround on 2016 Clemson Football Season Preview: Schedule Breakdown

Thu, 25 Aug 2016 15:50:45 -0400

In this article, we delve into each game as we breakdown Clemson’s 2016 schedule.

at Auburn

Last year we looked at returning starters as just one measure to help us project some of our opponents. Using this metric, we successfully projected Louisville and Boston College as teams that would take a step back. Conversely, Appalachian State had 20 returning starters and we projected them to be very strong for a Sun Belt team. Using returning starters, we also noted Notre Dame would be strong, and NC State would have a strong offense and a weak defense all these predictions broke our way.

Auburn, despite last year's struggles, only has 11 returning starters according to Phil Steele. It’s not a strangely tiny number (like Ohio State with only six), but coming off a disappointing season, you’d expect to see a lot of highly recruited young starters returning. That’s not the case.

Auburn ranked 40th in S&P+ offense and 34th in S&P+ defense. Jeremy Johnson, who threw 17+ passes in 7 different games, finished with 10 TDs and 7 INTs. John Franklin III originally enrolled at Florida State, but left for JUCO before joining Auburn's program this year. He will compete with Johnson and Sean White for the starting role. Should be win, he'll provide a speedy option that forces defenses to account for his speed (Sean White is favored as of this writing).

Clemson DE Austin Bryant will miss the opener with a foot injury, which opens up some potential opportunities for Auburn to attack the edge, but there’s a reason some experts such as those at Athlon Sports on the Cover 2 Podcast have picked Auburn to finish last in the SEC West. With an uncertain situation at QB and attrition from dismissals and injuries at RB, Auburn is not in a great position for a huge rebound season.

Troy

In the Sun Belt Conference, only Georgia State returns more starters than Troy, but the Trojans only won four games a season ago, and failed to stay within 21 points of any of the three P5 opponents they faced. They certainly have more firepower (and more depth) than an FCS team, but they shouldn't improve enough to give Clemson a major scare.

SC State

SC State finished 4th in the MEAC last season. The Tigers have never lost to an FCS opponent. Stay healthy, get young players reps, and prep for the triple-option on a short week. That’s what week 3 is all about.

at Georgia Tech (TH)

Nobody returns fewer starters in the ACC than Georgia Tech! Yes, Duke and Georgia Tech only return 11 starters each. Tech returns just five defensive starters on a defense that was only 63rd in the S&P+ rankings a year ago. From the Rumble Seat explained:

Many unknown quantities will be asked to step into starring roles. If nothing clicks, this could be one of the worst defenses in the ACC, which would force the offense to return to 2014 levels to keep games competitive.

Losing starting DT Adam Gotis will hurt, but losing both starting CBs and both starting safeties may be too much for the Yellow Jackets to overcome.

On offense they return QB Justin Thomas. They were so devastated by injuries last season it's hard to look at returning starters because nobody seemed to stay in the starting lineup. Their offense may improve, but their defense seems unlikely to do so and as such, achieving anything more than a .500 season and bowl berth would be surprising (coming off a 3-9) season.

This is finally the year Clemson goes to Atlanta and beats the Yellow Jackets. Don't miss it!

Louisville

Louisville on the other hand is primed to come into Death Valley and challenge the Tigers. Their offense struggled through the early part of last season, but found their legs down the stretch. Lamar Jackson showed the nation just what he could do in the Music City Bowl when he torched Texas A&M for 227 passing yards and 226 rushing yards, with four total touchdowns. That offense returns 10 starters including Jackson. All of Jackson's key receivers and running backs return for support, and the offensive line should improve with four returning starters. The Louisville offense is ready to take major strides.

The defense returns eight starters and was fortunate to have some potential NFL early departures decide to return. They host Florida State in week 3 of the season, and later head to Clemson and Houston. They have a real opportunity to win one or even two of those games three games. It would not surprise me if they beat either Florida State or Clemson, and made the top of the Atlantic Division topsy-turvy.

at Boston College (FRI)

Boston College's offense was stunted by a multitude of injuries which left them with nowhere near the depth needed to survive. While their defense among the nation’s best, their offense was the very worst.

They've made some major changes bringing in a new offensive coordinator and starting QB. Scott Loeffler, who was the OC on the three win 2012 Auburn team and the past few VT offenses, will implement a pro-style offense. Fortunately, he'll have a graduate transfer QB from Kentucky, Patrick Towles, to run the offense. Jon Hilliman, their very effective RB returns from a foot fracture. The Eagles were second in the conference in rushing when he suffered the injury, but were woeful without him.

BC has moved QB Jeff Smith to slot WR where he has an opportunity to contribute and mend a team weakness. They get their key RB back from injury, and move to a new offense with a new QB to run it. Meanwhile they return 8 starters on offense. Everything went wrong for the BC offense last season and while I'm not particularly optimistic about the Loeffler hire long-term, they should have more to work with than a season ago. I expect their offense to improve and their defense to again be stout (though likely not quite as dominant).

As their offense moves from horrendous to mediocre and their defense remains elite, they'll present more of a challenge to the Tigers. Nevertheless, I would be very shocked if Clemson didn't extend their five game win streak against Boston College this season.

NC State

Every year people say we should worry about NC State. Every year people say they give us trouble. In the last 12 years, they've only closed the deal and actually beat Clemson once. They haven't won in Clemson since 2002.

Jacoby Brissett, who had 253 passing yards, three passing TDs and a rushing TD against Clemson last season is now on the New England Patriots’ roster. A redshirt sophomore with little experience, Jalan McClendon, is competing to take over for Brissett. He was a 24/7 Composite 4-star out of Charlotte.

They return a great RB in Matt Dayes and an excellent, underrated TE in Jaylen Samuels, but I don't see a compelling reason why - barring significant injuries - this game should be much different than the last six Textile Bowls in Clemson.

at Florida State

Florida State is going to be back with a vengeance after a 10-win "rebuilding" campaign. Their season ended with a disappointing Chick-fil-A Bowl loss to the Group of Five (though likely soon to be Big 12) Houston Cougars.

According to analyst Bud Elliott, there are starters on last year’s team at risk of losing playing time to younger players. These are starters from a 10-win team who likely improved throughout the year and offseason! This is most discussed at QB, where Deondre Francois, a redshirt freshman, has taken the job from the injured (foot) Sean Maguire (and may have taken it regardless of injury). It wasn’t too long ago that we discounted Jameis Winston due to his inexperience only to witness him demolish Clemson in Death Valley.

If he wasn’t in line to win the QB job already, the injury to Maguire all but ensures Francois will have big game experience before playing Clemson. Maguire should be healthy by then and serve as a reliable back-up should Francois struggle.

Florida State’s O-line is expected to be improved as is Dalvin Cook’s health - a scary combination of upgrades! This year’s game is in Doak Campbell, making the challenge even greater. Fortunately, the Tigers now have the horses to battle with National Championship level teams so it’s truly a toss-up.

Syracuse

An anonymous ACC coach said:

"Obviously Dino Babers is coming in there and they're going to run the Baylor offense. I think they're just short across the board talent-wise, but obviously the most important thing will be identifying their quarterback."

It's a solid hire, one of many in the ACC, and the conference seems poised to really take a big step forward. He'll have a lot of work to do before becoming a solid, competitive opponent though. They finished just 71st in the S&P+ rankings last year. They have a relatively experienced team, returning 15 starters but their recruiting has not produced classes inside the top 50 so actually beating a team like Clemson or FSU in their home stadium seems extremely unlikely. They should improve as a program over the next few years though. Their coaching staff indeed appears upgraded.

Pittsburgh

Clemson will host the Panthers for the first time since they joined the ACC, and they'll offer one of Clemson's better home contests. While their star player, Tyler Boyd, is gone after being a second round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals, they bring back 15 starters including eight on offense. One of those starters is returning QB Nathan Peterman. Peterman was a graduate transfer from Tennessee. He took the starting job away from Chad Voytik and started the final 11 games a season ago, with an impressive 61.5% completion percentage. He'll need to spread the ball around more without Boyd, but they'll likely lean on a rushing attack as much as possible.

James Connor will return after missing last season with a tragic combo of torn knee ligaments and then Hodgkin lymphoma. His successful return will be one of the better ACC storylines. According to Athlon Sports:

"Pittsburgh returns four starters on the offensive line. Additionally, tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith is back after missing all of 2015 due to injury. The Panthers should have one of the top offensive lines in the ACC next year."

Pittsburgh may find success by pounding the rock, but against Clemson's world-class DT rotation, I'm not sure how well that will work. Moreover, Pittsburgh only had the 50th ranked defense in the S&P+ last season (and worse the year prior) and they'll need a huge improvement to slow what could be the best Clemson offense of all-time.

Pittsburgh will be a fun opponent and likely the second best home game after Louisville, but this still should be a Clemson win.

at Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons are now in year three of the Dave Clawson era, and as beautifully explained by Robert Reinhard of Blogger so Dear, this is when expectations begin.

Last season their offensive line was hilariously horrendous. They weren't an ACC O-line by any standard except literally being on a team that happened to somehow be in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This year the offensive line will begin the year with 69 starts. Improvement along the line will be where progress begins. Clawson's recruiting has set Wake Forest records, which isn't saying much, but it does show that the level of talent is rising and they should be reasonable, maybe even bowl-eligible.

That said, they still should not pose a significant threat to a Clemson team that has dramatically better line play, as well as superior skill players.

South Carolina

Will Muschamp really wasn't as bad a hire as Clemson fans like to say. He has said that if he had hired Kurt Roper from the start he'd still be at Florida. That all may be true, but his roster simply isn't very good this year.That may be a bit harsh, but with no compelling answer at QB and the losses of star WR Pharoh Cooper (NFL Draft) and key linebacker Skai Moore (Herniated Disk), it's quite reasonable.

While rivalry games have an added element of unpredictability, and November is a long way away, a lot will need to go their way between now and then for them to have a realistic chance.

College BattleGround on 2016 Clemson Football Season Preview: Linebackers

Tue, 23 Aug 2016 17:03:40 -0400

Let's take a look at Coach Venables and his corps of linebackers heading into 2016.

I'm hoping I don't have to go back and do a major revision on this article before it publishes like last year when Korie Rogers just quit out of nowhere during fall camp. Luckily, that (along with Kendall Joseph's injury) didn't end up haunting the team, as Ben Boulware, who is a freaking boss, and B.J. Goodson did iron man work at the position and earned All-ACC honors along the way. That linebacker room got a lot nastier with the additions of five star Tre Lamar and Shaq Smith, not to mention Boulware 2.0 in Jamie Skalski, who has made a push to play as a true freshman. This has got to be refreshing for Coach Brent Venables, after no doubt holding his breath most of last year as Boulware and Goodson logged ridiculous snap counts. Hopefully, improved depth will help cut down on some of the gap busts that led to big plays given up last year. With the offense this team has, the defense just needs to make the other side earn it and things will be just fine. So, without further ado, let's take a look at the position breakdowns.

SAM (Strong Side Linebacker): Projected Starter: rs Jr. Dorian O'Daniel (181 snaps, 32 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 1 PBU in 2015)

O'Daniel finally sits atop the depth chart after plugging away as a backup and special teams demon the last two years. He already is the resident GT wrecker, having had two tremendous games against the Jackets, but now he hopes to be the jack of all trades that this position really requires in Coach V's defense. He can play the run and is fast/quick enough to handle slot and tight end coverage (clocked sub 4.5 this summer). I've always been a fan of "DOD" and am looking forward to his getting extended playing time. A true SAM is essential against teams like Auburn who run spread sets but try to run at you the majority of the time. He brings the second most snap experience to the corps behind Boulware (not counting Wiggins from 2014) and will be a major cog in the machine as a redshirt junior. You would have to say he is an upgrade to the Blanks/Carter combination that handled this duty last season.

Depth: rs Jr. Korrin Wiggins (521 snaps, 40 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2 PBU, 2 interceptions in 2014)

Wiggins is coming off that knee injury that took him out of 2015 and is still rounding into shape. Should the injury bug not hit, the staff should be able to ease him back into the mix. Wiggins is a very heady player who logged a ton of snaps in 2014, though he isn't a real playmaker as DOD nearly matched his tackle total in 2014 with a fraction of the snap load. Of course, doing your freaking job is not to be underestimated and Wiggins was that type of guy and should be again when he sees the field. Wiggins also has seen work at safety, but I would suspect he will log most of his action at SAM as he works to regain full mobility. A healthy Wiggins gives the defense a great depth boost and much needed experience to a talented but untested group.

soph. Jalen Williams (85 snaps, 15 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 sacks in 2015)

Williams was called on to play very little in 2015 and the vast majority of his action came in the Wake Forest game when Boulware first hurt his shoulder and was held out of that mismatch. He is undersized for Will, so the move to SAM makes more sense, though I suspect he might be the backup Will should something happen to Boulware early on in the season. Williams does have a nose for the football and isn't afraid to go flying in looking for action, but he isn't able to hold up on blocks like bigger LB's and can get swallowed up in that regard. It is doubtful Williams ever becomes a major cog in the defense but he can find a role as a backup here and a special teams demon. Shaq Smith's development will determine how much, if any, Williams plays Will in addition to SAM work he might draw.

(Note: Obviously this spot will see some action by defensive backs like Ryan Carter and K'von Wallace in pure nickle situations so I am not counting them as linebackers here.)

WILL (Weak Side Linebacker): Projected Starter: Sr. Ben Boulware (850 snaps, 138 tackles, 8 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 7 PBU, 2 Interceptions in 2015: All-ACC).

The undisputed leader of the Clemson defense has to be Ben Boulware, who brings by far the most experience and production to the linebacker group. Boulware is a straight War Daddy, if such a term can apply to a non DL, and put together an All-ACC 2015 while playing with one arm the latter part of the season. Boulware has only added to his legend in the off-season by calling out doubters on Twitter, clowning the Sooners, and stealing the show at ACC media days with his wardrobe choice. He is the heart and soul of this side of the ball and embodies the type of passion, physicality, and commitment his coordinator and position coach expects. Boulware will be called on once again to shoulder a heavy snap load as the depth behind him is seriously unproven. His 2015 backup, as mentioned earlier, was Jalen Williams and might be again if, God forbid, something befall Ben in the early part of the season.

DEPTH: Soph. J.D. Davis (19 snaps, 6 tackles in 2015): Yep, that's a Davis twin listed second team on the last official depth chart before fall camp. I'm actually going to state for the record I am hoping one of these Davis twins emerges as a player and validates their place on the roster. We'll get the "I told you so" stories from Coach Swinney, but I will take them gladly. The alternative is they eat two scholarships for the next three seasons in a Drew Traylor, Spencer Region fashion. That said, both Davis's saw heavy special teams action last year. We'll see if they are a part of the supposedly revamped special teams units going into this season. I really don't feel J.D. would be next up behind Ben, I suspect Jalen Williams would be at this point.

Fr. Shaq Smith: I'm sure the vast majority of Tiger fans are looking at five star Shaq Smith as the heir apparent to Ben Boulware. That is certainly the outlook for the future, but the jury remains out if Smith will be deemed ready to take on that role this season. Coach Venables has been hesitant to commit to Smith playing this year the way he has with Tre Lamar. However, this could very well be motivational as it is hard to imagine Smith not playing as a true freshman. He simply brings a physical presence that these other WILL candidates don't. Not busting and being gap sound is all that stands in the way of Smith being firmly on the second team, but as of August 23, Smith is firmly on the redshirt bubble. His natural pass rush ability should definitely come into play as the Will tends to blitz more than the other linebacker positions. Hopefully, the reduction of the package that comes with game planning as opposed to camp will help Smith gain Coach V's trust.

MIKE (Middle Linebacker): Projected Starter: RS Soph. Kendall Joseph (63 snaps, 11 tackles in 2015).

One of the biggest holes to fill (no pun intended) in the 2016 defense is the one left by All-ACC performer and current New York Giant, B.J. Goodson at Mike. It is hard to believe that Joseph was beating Goodson out for the starting job prior to suffering an injury that severely limited his 2015 action and production. Knowing the player Goodson was, Tiger fans can only be giddy over the prospect of a healthy Joseph being an upgrade at the position. Of course, we all know things can change when the lights come on for real so the jury is clearly out on the upgrade thing. I think I speak for nearly everyone in saying I will gladly take Goodson's production from Joseph in 2015. The best news here is Joseph won't have to shoulder nearly the snap load that Goodson had to last year.

DEPTH: Fr. Tre Lamar: Big Tre is the reason Joseph can be spelled much more than Goodson was in 2015. Lamar has looked every bit the five star prospect he was when he signed and enrolled early. It is rare to hear the kind of praise out of Coach Venables, for a player this young, that we have heard this camp. Lamar is an absolute physical specimen and is the prototype MIKE 'backer. This is shaping up to be a situation similar to 2014 at WILL when Tony Steward and Ben Boulware were able to divide snaps at about a 60-40 rate. Joseph and Lamar only have game experience to gain, but this position appears to be in very good hands for the next two to three years. Keeping a fresh body out there should help cut down on some of the problems in the run game we witnessed down the stretch in 2015. Lamar could very well be the starter here by the end of the season and the battle should keep both players sharp.

RS Fr. Chad Smith: We have heard very little about the progress of Chad Smith as he comes off his redshirt year until a recent post practice Dabo interview when he discussed him. There have been reports he has struggled with added weight as he's a stout 240 pounds now. I was not even fully sure if he had been working at Will or Mike, but Swinney said he is "behind Tre" which means he's at MIKE now after beginning at WILL. He wasn't listed on the last official depth chart. Smith may very well become the type of player his four star rating suggested coming in, but it could be on the Eric Mac Lain or Kevin Dodd trajectory where patience is required.

Wild Card: Fr. Jamie Skalski: I was with many others in feeling Skalski's hope to play as a true freshman would come if he could win the kickoff job. However, he's gotten some love and appears to be on the bubble to play this year as a linebacker. This is something to monitor because Skalski could very well emerge as a factor for depth at Will.

COACHING: Brent Venables has done a magnificent job turning the Clemson defense into a consistent top 10 performer after several years of underachievement in the Swinney era. Even throughout the down years of the 1990s and early 2000s, most of Clemson's top talent could be found on this side of the ball. Everything flipped when Chad Morris came to town and the offensive production took off like a rocket. Now the program has found the balance required on both sides to seriously contend for the national title. Elevation in recruiting has been a major part of this, but talent alone doesn't win and Coach V's efforts (along with his staff) should be commended. Coach V has also provided a serious upgrade as a position coach for the linebackers over Kevin Steele. Clemson had ZERO All-ACC linebackers from 2009 to 2012 (continuing a trend from the Bowden era), but beginning in 2013, Clemson has had at least one first, second, or third team linebacker on the All ACC team (5 selections in the last three years). It hasn't just been guys like five star Stephone Anthony either, as lightly recruited Spencer Shuey was a third team selection in 2013 and B.J. Goodson was second team last year. That speaks volumes to the upgrade Venables has provided at this position and the defense as a whole. A defense approaching the top 10 this season should put Clemson in Tampa and cement Venables as one of the top 2 or 3 defensive coordinators in the land considering the roster turnover the last two seasons.

College BattleGround on 2016 Clemson Football Season Preview: Tight Ends

Mon, 22 Aug 2016 16:30:22 -0400

The tight end position re-emerged last season with the receiving prowess of Jordan Leggett and the physical play of true freshman Garrett Williams. Now, it's time to review what to expect from our 2016 tight end group.

In the smash mouth spread offense that Chad Morris brought to Clemson in 2011, it was noted how key the tight end was to the offense. The tight end is really asked to be quite versatile, and do so in a HUNH setting, which means that subbing out to get the correct personnel in typically isn't an option. Our TE may be asked to flex out wide and run routes, block defensive backs in space, or even block a defensive end or linebacker on a run play. Finally, our tight ends can set up in the backfield and wham block on zone reads or slip out on a route during play action.

2015 saw a resurgence of the tight end position with the play of Jordan Leggett. While the man known as Whiffles sometimes struggled to be a physical blocker, he was effective in the passing game and had some good moments blocking in space against DBs. Garrett Williams also had some awesome moments as a blocker last year, but did not register a reception during the season. Other tight ends logged some snaps, but were not key contributors like the aforementioned Leggett and Williams.

Departures

Stanton Seckinger (6'4'', 240, Graduated): Stanton was always more of a receiving target than blocker during his time at Clemson. He came to Clemson as a low 3* WR prospect that we eventually molded into a receiving TE. Unfortunately for Stanton, 2 things happened which hindered his effectiveness in the offense.

1) He suffered a terrible knee injury that he never fully recovered from.

2) The coaches failed to realize he couldn't block my grandmother on a bullet blitz but still used him in blocking schemes anyways.

Stanton leaves Clemson after completing his degree and leaving us still with some awesome memories such as his game clinching TD in the UGA game to start the 2013 season. Best wishes to him moving forward and congrats on joining the faithful of Clemson Alumni.

2016 Returnees

Jordan Leggett (6'5'', 255, Senior, 2015 Stats: 40 Catches, 525 Yards, 8 TD, 892 Snaps): Leggett will be heavily relied upon this season as a receiving target. Last year, he found a solid role in the red zone with the absence of Mike Williams by reeling in 8 TDs. While he can still improve as an in line blocker, his blocking in space improved drastically over his Freshman and Sophomore efforts. Leggett earned numerous accolades following the 2015 season and has also began to receive similar acclaim during this offseason. Leggett has all of the tools to be a complete TE, and now is his final opportunity to showcase them before heading pro.

2016 Season Expectations: Lead the ACC in receptions, yards, and TDs by a TE and earn all-conference honors. Be in the conversation for All American Honors and the Mackey Award. Potentially sack up and realize he's big enough to actually hit someone who is not a DB.

Garrett Wiliams (6'2'', 235, Sophmore, 2015 Stats: 0 Receptions, 0 Yards, 0 TD, 92 Snaps): Williams is best remembered for his wolloping block on Reggie Ragland in the national championship game. (Insert GIF here).

Yeah, doing that as a true freshman will get you noticed, especially when the guy you're blowing up is a first-round draft pick. Garrett undoubtedly proved himself as a willing in line blocker, but he lacks the versatility right now to line up in space and be a true receiving threat. Hopefully the coaches will groom him as the season progresses, as he will be locked in a battle with many others to replace Leggett as the man next year.

2016 Season Expectations; Continue to blow up linebackers and defensive ends in blocking assignments and hopefully get more involved in the passing game. Definitely will log 150+ snaps even in a sole blocking role.

Milan Richard (6'2'', 250, RS Sophomore, 2015 Stats: 0 Rec, 0 Yards, 0 TD): Admittedly, I was very high on Richard last season as I thought he could work his way into the #2 role behind Leggett due to rave reviews from the spring and the fact that he is made of granite. Sadly, Richard logged minimal snaps, mostly in mop up duty, and did not have a pass targeted his way. He offers greater versatility than any tight end on the roster not named Jordan Leggett, but still needs to put it all together. This year will be very telling for Richard; we'll see if he can really become a big piece of the offense moving forward, or fall by the wayside and be passed by younger guys on the roster.

2016 Season Expectations; Finally start playing like Tarzan rather than Jane and begin to position himself as a replacement for when Leggett departs.

Cannon Smith (6'5'', 260, RS Sophomore, 2015 Stats: 0 Rec, 0 Yards, 0 TD, 29 Snaps): Smith came to Clemson as a somewhat under the radar, yet still coveted, jumbo TE prospect. Many thought early on that Smith's intended position may actually be somewhere on the offensive line rather than TE, but he stuck it out at TE and has began to assert himself as a physical in line blocker. He was most used in the goalline jumbo package last season and, while he was not targeted for a pass, he did make a nice reception on a corner route in the spring game.

2016 Season Expectations: Continued role in the jumbo packages and begin to learn how to play in space.

D.J. Greenlee (6'2'', 245, RS Junior, 2015 Stats: Thud Guy): Ever hear the phrase, "If you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing at all?"....well, I don't really have much nice to say about Greenlee. I suppose he can offer some special teams help and be the occasional relief to Williams as a blocker, although not nearly on the same level as Williams or any other TE on the roster in any regard.

2016 Season Expectations: Well, 2 years down, 2 to go on this 5 heart engagement.

The Newcomers

Shadell Bell (6'2'', 215, RS Freshman): Although Bell is not a newcomer to Clemson, he is a newcomer to this position. Bell played WR all of high school and on scout team last year, but with all of the depth that is currently at WR, Bell must have had a nice conversation with the coaches and either made the jump to TE in a quest for playing time or was ushered there as a science project. Either way, Bell lacks significant weight to really be a factor this season in playing time, but will more than likely play some special teams.

2016 Season Expectations: The 2016 is bulking season for Bell, as well as taking time to learn the nuances of a brand new position.

J.C. Chalk (6'4'', 230, Freshman, Argyle, TX, 3*): Chalk comes to Clemson from Argyle, TX and is the grandson of former Alabama coach Gene Stallings. Any player from Texas is a rare get for Clemson and even though he does not carry the 5* weight as a major signing coup, he still offers some great upside as a good all around TE. Not exceptional at one thing but just does all of the various TE skills well.

2016 Season Expectations: Due to the log jam in front of him at TE, Chalk will use this season as a redshirt year to gain scout team experience and adjust to the speed and physicality of the game at this level.

Summary

As the TE goes, so does this offense. A good TE for our smashmouth spread is a Swiss Army Knife of sorts, being able to do many things well and doings them well and often on the fly. 2014 saw this group underperform to both their expectations and their talent level. 2015 was a stellar year but there is definitely room for improvement as our TE's still have some clear strengths and weaknesses from player to player. But the arrow is pointing up and, with continued development, we can expect big things from this group.

College BattleGround on Clemson DE Xavier Kelly reportedly involved in moped accident

Thu, 18 Aug 2016 16:06:21 -0400

Nothing has been confirmed yet, but TCI is reporting that Freshman DE Xavier Kelly was involved in a moped accident yesterday night around 11:30pm. David Hood from Tigernet has also indicated that he has heard reports of Kelly being on crutches and a player having been involved in a moped accident.

According to TCI, the Clemson University Police Department’s notes indicate that the accident occurred when a vehicle struck Kelly’s moped. The vehicle was reportedly at fault in the incident. There is no news yet on whether Kelly was injured but TCI says a source told them that “his overall physical well being is okay” while not ruling out an injury.

A true freshman, Kelly had a strong start in camp but it remained to be seen whether or not he would have avoided a redshirt. The injury to Austin Bryant has complicated things, though. At the moment, Clelin Ferrell, Richard Yeargin, Chris Register and Christian Wilkins will likely be manning the DE rotation. Jabril Robinson has also been mentioned as a possibility. The fact that the Clemson coaches wanted Wilkins to take snaps at DE after Bryant’s injury suggests to me that Kelly may not have seen snaps this year even with Bryant being out for some time. Still, it could be a blow to the depth of an already thin position group as Kelly probably would have played had anyone else gotten hurt.

We’ll have to wait and see if Kelly was injured in the incident and will update this post when we hear more.

College BattleGround on Clemson Tiger Austin Bryant Fractures Foot In Practice

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 15:28:26 -0400

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson DE Austin Bryant suffered a fractured foot in practice last night and had surgery today. The injury means Bryant will likely be out for up to 6 weeks, possibly longer if the injury doesn’t heal properly. Six weeks would put Bryant back the week of the Louisville game. There has been a lot of speculation that Bryant would return for the Georgia Tech game, but with that game being a Thursday night trip to Atlanta it could be a little ambitious. At least until Bryant begins his rehab work.

The Tigers have been fortunate on the injury front for the last 12 months. Injuries have come at positions of solid depth aand there have been few critical ones. Unfortunately this is a big blow for Clemson. DE was a position lacking in depth right now and Bryant was going to be counted on to help anchor the line.

Bryant’s injury could mean we will see Christian Wilkins taking snaps at DE. Though a DT, Wilkins did work a little bit at DE during spring practice and depending on how Xavier Kelly and Jabril Robinson progress through the rest of fall camp he could be asked to contribute significant time at DE.

The depth chart at DE will likely be some combination of Xavier Kelly, Richard Yeargin, Clelin Ferrell, and Chris Register. Wilkins almost has to step in at DE to give this unit some punch.

College BattleGround on Gage Cervenka to Move to Offensive Line

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 17:15:20 -0400

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

According to Nikki Hood, Gage Cervenka, a redshirt freshman defensive tackle, has been moved to the offensive line.

Gage Cervenka was a three-star DT prospect out of Greenwood High School largely recognized for his excellent high school wrestling career.

While he wasn't particularly struggling at defensive tackle, the depth chart at the DT is especially star-studded for Clemson. Carlos Watkins, Christian Wilkins, Albert Huggins, Dexter Lawrence, Scott Pagano, and Jabril Robinson are all listed ahead of him.

Conversely on the offensive line, he will train at Center and Guard where there are three players on the field at once instead of just two and only Jay Guillermo, Maverick Morris, Taylor Hearn, and Justin Falcinelli are clearly entrenched in front of him. He remains unlikely to contribute this year, but will have a very good opportunity to begin providing depth in 2017 (with Jay Guillermo's departure).

Coach Swinney believes he is a good fit for the offensive line and the depth chart shows he has a much bigger opportunity to make an impact there. I love the move, but would like to know what you think in the poll and comments below.

College BattleGround on Clemson Ranked 2nd in Coaches Poll

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 09:55:00 -0400

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The first USA Today Amway Coaches poll is out for the 2016 season and Clemson will remain where they ended the 2015 season, in 2nd place. The voters put Clemson in 2nd, behind national champion Alabama. Seven coaches voted Clemson the #1 team in the country, and even Tennessee got a first place vote. Nice to finally see them finish first against us in something.

Atlantic Division rival Florida State is in 4th and also received a first place vote. The only other team on Clemson’s schedule to be ranked is Louisville at 23rd. UNC was also ranked 20th as the 4th team from the ACC to be ranked.

I’ll be honest, Clemson being ranked 2nd seems too high for me. Given the losses on defense and the uncertainty in the secondary, Clemson seems to be more of a 6-10 type of team. Yes, the offense is stacked, but without quality on defense Clemson will be more likely to replicate the 2012 or 2013 season, not the 2015 one.

The full poll is below.

1. Alabama (55 first place votes)

2. Clemson (7)

3. Oklahoma

4. Florida State (1)

5. Ohio State

6. LSU

7. Stanford

8. Michigan

9. Notre Dame

10. Tennessee (1)

11. Michigan State

12. Ole Miss

13. Houston

14. TCU

15. Iowa

16. Georgia

17. USC

18. Washington

19. Oklahoma State

20. North Carolina

21. Baylor

22. Oregon

23. Louisville

24. UCLA

25. Florida

Others Receiving Votes: Miami (Fla.) 120; Wisconsin 82; Utah 73; Boise State 73; Washington State 47; Texas A&M 37; Texas 34; Arkansas 34; Northwestern 31; Navy 30; Mississippi State 19; San Diego State 18; Nebraska 17; Auburn 17; Western Kentucky 11; Pittsburgh 8; Brigham Young 6; Appalachian State 4; Duke 3; Arizona 2; Marshall 2; Toledo 2; South Florida 2; Memphis 1; Indiana 1; Northern Illinois 1.

College BattleGround on Clemson Fall Camp Primer

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 09:02:08 -0400

Finally some football!!! Let the discussions begin...

Decided to put together a quick introduction to Fall Camp and the things I will be looking for with all the starting players (and a few reserves sprinkled in). Usually just a sentence per player, but adding more if I can't help it.

Lets start with some weigh-in reactions. Three cheers for a training table! It is definitely paying dividends, especially with the younger players who are completely taking to the system. Also, I have heard great things about the nutritionist that Clemson hired. Finally someone is completely dedicated to helping players eat right and it is paying off.

Positives: Deshaun Watson at a svelte 218.

Lineman looked pretty good compared to years past. Guillermo at 305 after being in the 360+ range a little over a year ago is phenomenal. Hyatt is at 299 and Fruhmorgen is at 300. You all know how high I have been on Fruh and he will start at RT, should be much improved and has filled out his upper body. Crowder is the heaviest lineman at 333 (a little heavy but I will take it). No one is using their scholarship as a free meal ticket anymore. I said during his recruitment not to write off Tremayne Anchrum and that he would have a chance to contribute on this year. Well, he weighs in at 289 without a ton of bad weight. Pollard looks like he can physically contribute too at 310. Simpson wins the off the bus award. Wish he came in earlier to learn more of the system. Very happy we beat out USCjr for him for the future.

TE's have all bulked up. Leggett is at an eye popping 259--but no real fat on his body. If he can block this year and keep his speed, wow. Garrett Williams is at 250 and will be a beast blocking this year. He was in the 220-230 range last year. All of the TE's looked good including Shadell Bell who has been working with the TE's for awhile now. Glad to see the young man have the maturity to see that this is where his future will be brightest. He will need time but can be a pass catching threat in the future. Also the reason we aren't taking a TE in the 2017 class.

On defense you have Jadar Johnson at 217. Van Smith is at 202, up from 180 last season (probably played in the 170's though).

This freshman defensive class has come in on fire. Lamar at 236. Shaq Smith at 235. That is perfect right there.

DB's all very impressive with Mullen at 187, Wallace at 187 and Simmons at 221!? Mullen and Wallace weigh more than all the other CBs not named Tank. Simmons is the heaviest Safety on the roster. Impressive and gives those guys a chance to contribute in the two-deep and certainly on special teams.

Can we just start calling Dexter Lawrence at 342 pounds "The Mountain" or "The Mountain That Rides" (GOT reference)? My goodness he is going to be fun to watch for three years.

Really there are a ton of positives.

Negatives: These are picky but that is what I do. Gallman at 210. Would have liked to have seen him at 215 or 220. None of our RBs are at 220 again this year. I did like Feaster at 207, which is around where you want him for his entire career with his speed, 210-215 eventually. Thought Choice would be above 206.

Jabril Robinson is at 259. Not good. I said during his recruitment that I didn't think his frame could hold weight well enough to get to the 290-300 pound range. He was listed last year at 280 but is going in the wrong direction. He is a redshirt Sophomore so he has been in the program long enough. Dexter is taking those snaps until he can get his weight up. Jordan Leggett weighs as much as Jabril right now.

LaSamuel Davis is at 208 and needs to get in the 230 range to have a chance to contribute. Like I said when he signed, this is a long term investment and there shouldn't be any expectations put on him at this point.

TJ Chase looks ridiculously cut (abs for miles), but most likely will redshirt just because he is at 164. Tough to come in so late but congratulations to that young man for persevering--lots of talent.

Amir Trapp is only 161, but that is up from the 150 pounds he came in as, so it is really a positive. Edmond should be more than 178 at this point in his career. Physicality at the point of attack has been what has kept him off the field. Fields surprisingly dropped some weight to 181, which is a bit concerning.

On to the players, here is what I am looking for in Fall Camp:

DeShaun Watson--How is he carrying the 218 pounds? Does he have any improvement in speed? Accuracy. Started off a bit slow in this area last year. Chemistry with Mike Williams. (Very sad knowing this is Watson's last season as a Tiger. Enjoy it!)

Kelly Bryant--accuracy and reading through his progressions. We know he has the wheels but his time is now to improve decision making and touch on the ball.

Gallman--just continue to stay healthy, increased strength gains?

Who grabs the backup slot? How much has everyone improved in pass pro (believe it or not, Fuller is currently the best at pass pro on the roster)?

Feaster--grasp of offense, will make some "wow" plays in camp, but can he learn the offense enough to get 5-10 snaps a game (think wheel-route). Blocking? Toughness between the tackles with shoulder? If he can answer those questions then you have a pass catching RB who can take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Yes, I am still insanely high on Feaster's potential this year.

Williams--no questions other than health. Will be alpha WR, back to 222 pounds. Beast.

Renfrow--had a Freshman lull midway through the season. Up to 182 pounds, can he withstand rigors of entire season at that weight? Does he do more punt return?

Scott--tracking the deep ball.

Cain--are you completely out of the doghouse? Can you please stay as far away from it as you possibly can? (missing the weigh-in had nothing to do with discipline, he is fine)

McCloud--up to 183. Hold on to the football, stay healthy. He has had a great summer, now to translate it to the field. Breakout pick on offense?

Crowder--is he completely healthy? Can the weight stay down and how is his pass blocking progressing?

Guillermo--is a stud but struggled with some of the better nose tackles last year (thank goodness Louisville's Sheldon Rankins is gone!). Can he take the next step and blow guys off the ball?

Hearn--I was wrong about you...our jack of all trades who steps in during the Orange Bowl and plays quality reps at Tackle. Weight is down. Can he be an upgrade over Mr. Clemson?

Hyatt--just how big a jump can he make in second season with full offseason of work? 299 sounds good to me.

Fruhmorgen--superior technique matched with strength gains?? Lets see you put it altogether please.

Mav Morris--Can he improve as a run blocker?

Falcinelli--ready to step in for depth at Center or Guard positions? Will need him at some point this season.

Noah Green--making big improvements after health scares, can he work into the 2 deep and get meaningful snaps this year?

Leggett--can he block just a little better? Scary at 259 pounds and little body fat.

Williams--how is he progressing as a pass catcher?

Ferrell--pass rush moves and getting to the QB. Using length to set the edge. Lawson and Dodd were so good at this by season's end last year, I fear we are a bit spoiled.

Bryant--staying healthy. Has had minor injury problems in short career. Can he continue his pass rushing at the end of last season. Both of these guys have to learn to play a ton of snaps this season.

Yeargin--weight is up. Can he mentally take the next step with assignments and polishing technique. Can he keep Christian Wilkins at DT?

Kelly--comes in at 259, how much of the playbook is grasped? How many snaps can he pull early in the season?

Wilkins--how do you handle potentially playing some DE? How many packages can BV dial up for you, how much can you stay on the field? How has a year in the weight room helped overall strength (last summer/fall had wrist injury)?

Watkins--pad level, pad level, pad level. If he can get this down, he can go early rounds NFL.

Pagano--how do you handle Dexter Lawrence nipping at your heels? Increased leadership? Quality player that doesn't get the respect he deserves from fans.

Lawrence--how quickly do the double teams come in practice? Will "The Mountain" stick as a nickname?

Huggins--at 300 pounds, looks like a DT. How much has his pad level and leverage improved? How many snaps can he carve out?

Boulware--slimmed down about five pounds. Leadership/experience of the team and defense. How is he sideline to sideline and covering backs, TEs? Improved in coverage?

Joseph--Goodson had a ridiculously productive season. Can Joseph step in and have the same kind of impact? Can he stay healthy this season, not the same player he was in summer and camp once he got injured last year.

O'Daniel--breakout? Can he gobble up snaps vacated by Travis Blanks? Can he finally stay on the field? Seems like it a 220. Everything I have heard says he will make the jump.

Tank--must, must stay healthy. We forget that last year was his first year starting, needs to lead a young secondary.

Fields--can he put it all together mentally? Can he earn coaches trust and be consistent?

Carter--is he going to stay at Corner, Nickel or provide depth at Safety? More natural as a Safety but lacks ideal height and bulk at the position for BV scheme. Can any of the young guys, particularly Mullen, challenge for PT?

Safety

Van Smith--everyone is obviously very high on him entering camp. Should be more physical with added weight but look for gains that come from experience at the position. Still needs to work on not being baited and getting out of position at times.

Jadar Johnson--with added bulk (up to 217) can he cover sideline to sideline and develop more toughness in run support? Always opportunistic in passing game, will he need to be more conservative?

Simmons--strong candidate to avoid a redshirt based on summer workouts. You can see that with the chiseled 221 pounds. Mentally can he handle it because there is a clear opportunity. Same goes for Muse and Johnson.

Wiggins--a Nickel right now who doesn't trust his knee yet. How soon before he works back into the rotation. Will O'Daniel keep all the Nickel backs off the field?

More in the comments as Camp nuggets start to flow in...