By Will Vandervort.

Clemson puts the pads on one final time this spring in Orange & White Game

Today’s Orange & White Spring Game in Death Valley isn’t just the culmination of spring workouts for the Clemson Tigers, instead it’s about having fun.

“You want the guys to have fun,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “They have worked their tails off all spring and this is an opportunity for them to showcase in front of their families.”

That fun should show itself to the more than 35,000 Clemson fans that are expected to flow into Memorial Stadium for the 2:30 p.m. kickoff. As he has done in years past, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has split the team up into two groups and will have assistant coaches Brent Venables (defensive coordinator) and Robbie Caldwell (the offensive line coach) serve as the head coaches.

Venables is the head coach of the Orange team and will be assisted by Dan Brooks, Jeff Scott and Brandon Streeter, while Caldwell will be in charge of the White and will have Danny Pearman, Marion Hobby, Mike Reed and Elliott on his sideline.

“This is going to be a very competitive spring game,” Swinney said. “It is very balanced on both sides, maybe more so than we had in the past because we have fifteen mid-year guys.”

Those mid-year guys include offensive tackles Mitch Hyatt and Jake Fruhmorgen, quarterbacks Tucker Israel and Kelly Bryant, linebackers Chad Smith and Jalen Williams and defensive linemen Chris Register, Albert Huggins and Sterling Johnson.

“This is one of your three scrimmage opportunities. You only have a few of these in which guys go full speed the whole time so you want to see them go out and finish the spring the right way,” Elliott said. “You want them to go out and be competitive.

“It is not an off day. It’s a game situation and we have been preparing the entire spring with all that is involved with it. You just want to see them go out and execute.”

Bryant will be the quarterback for the Orange team, while Israel will quarterback the White. Nick Schuessler, Swinney says, will quarterback both teams because they want to make sure he gets enough meaningful reps.

The White team will be highlighted with running back Wayne Gallman and wide receivers Artavis Scott and Charone Peake on offense. The defense will have veteran players like cornerback Mackensie Alexander, safety Korrin Wiggins, safety Jayron Kearse, defensive tackle D.J. Reader and defensive end Shaq Lawson.

The Orange team will have Germone Hopper and Mike Williams at wide receiver, Jordan Leggett at tight end and Tyshon Dye and Zac Brooks at running back. Defensively, Ben Boulware will play at linebacker, Carlos Watkins at defensive tackle, Cordrea Tankersley at cornerback and T.J. Green and Jadar Johnson at safety.

“Everybody is getting evaluated and when you only have a few opportunities to get in live work, you have to use those reps to evaluate them,” Elliott said.

And the coaches get to evaluate them in front of 35,000 fans.

“You get to see how they perform under the lights, though we are playing under the sun,” Swinney said.