By William Qualkinbush.
By William Qualkinbush.
When new things happen on the football field, the story normally revolves around them.
New quarterbacks steal the headlines. Freshman contributors grab the spotlight. Fresh faces make the front page. As soon as a story is told, it becomes old news.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise the narrative regarding Clemson’s offensive line has centered on a group of four freshmen that have stormed into camp and made a great first impression. It might be unfair, it might be too soon, but it’s what we do.
Returning offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain loves his young teammates. He loves the increased sense of competitiveness that comes from having uber-talented and hungry youngsters in camp.
But he doesn’t want people to forget the old guard, either.
“Nobody wants to talk about what they’ve been seeing for five years,” he said jokingly following Monday’s post-Easter practice. The comment was good-natured, but there was also some passion behind it.
See, Mac Lain and his mates up front never dealt with this kind of hype. The immense attention being given to Mitch Hyatt and Jake Fruhmorgen—and, more conservatively, to Zach Giella and Noah Green—is certainly warranted. However, in some ways, it feels misplaced.
First of all, freshmen hardly ever come in and play significant snaps on the offensive line. It takes special players to enter college as true freshmen and handle the workload of a high-level center, guard, or tackle. Many coaches say it generally takes two or three seasons for an offensive lineman to acclimate.
It would be premature to expect a great deal of productivity in 2015 from any of the four fantastic freshmen that have taken spring practice by storm. Still, that hasn’t stopped the hype parade. Even Dabo Swinney, Jeff Scott, and Tony Elliott have been singing the praises of the newbies ever since the start of camp.
Second, the returning linemen haven’t disappointed, either—and it seems that information might prove more useful during the upcoming season. Proven commodities like Mac Lain, Tyrone Crowder, Ryan Norton, Joe Gore, and Isaiah Battle return. Redshirt freshmen Justin Falcinelli and Taylor Hearn and redshirt sophomore Maverick Morris have all—at one time or another—impressed the staff this spring.
Hype machine aside, those are the players who will be counted upon to pave the way for Clemson offensively next season. If a freshman contributes, it’s gravy, but that’s all it is. Reliance on freshmen up front is never a good sign to coaches.
Swinney said this week he feels there are ten solid players on his two-deep who might be able to help on the offensive line right now. Almost all of them are returning veterans, even as most pundits and onlookers tout the newcomers as the program’s saving grace.
Mac Lain loves where he and his teammates up front are right now. He also understands the nature of the praise being heaped on his less experienced counterparts. He doesn’t mind it, but it might be prudent—my words, not his—to remember what we’ve seen before we make the quantum leap into the future.
God Bless!
WQ