By Will Vandervort.

Clemson left guard Eric Mac Lain feels this coming football season is going to be a special year for him, the offense, the offensive line and the Tigers in general.

In the last four years, Clemson has won 42 games and has been ranked inside the top 25 at seasons end all four times. The curious thing about all of that, the Tigers have found different ways to do it.

For the first three years, Clemson tried to outscore teams while Dabo Swinney got things caught up on the defensive side of the football. In 2014, the defense was the Tigers’ bell cow as it led the nation in total defense and 10 other defensive categories.

Though the Tigers return just three starters on defense, the Tigers believe there are enough pieces in place to live up to the standard Brent Venables’ group has established. The offense, though it has two of the youngest offensive coordinators in the country running the show, returns a ton of playmakers which starts at quarterback with sophomore Deshaun Watson.

The offensive line must replace two valuable starters in Kalon Davis and David Beasley, but with so much young talent already on campus from the 2015 class and those that were redshirted, there is hope that the quality of depth is much better for the Tigers this season than it has been the last two years.

“They just have to take their time,” Mac Lain said. “The offense is going to come to them. We have one of the greatest coaching staffs in college football. They are doing an excellent job of slowing down the offense.

“They have taken out a large portion so we can focus on the things that we want to be good at.”

Mac Lain feels there is going to be less movement on the offensive line than in years past. He is hoping guys like Mitch Hyatt, Noah Green and Jake Fruhmorgen will play a big role in that. As for him and the other veterans, he says it is about doing their job to their fullest while also providing leadership.

“With how you live, how you lift in the weight room and the things you do, I feel like I have always been that guy people could look up to,” the senior said. “As for taking the next step, it is time. It’s one more year and we are going to go all out.”

Mac Lain says the offensive line is getting better with each practice and it is more about them getting out there and staying focused as a group than anything else.

“Coaches are going to coach you hard and you just have to work on the things that they tell you,” the left guard said.