By Ed McGranahan

Exactly one year ago Clemson faced a season with two returning starters on the offensive line and one on the defensive line. Somehow, it worked out fine.

Asked Thursday morning about the juxtaposition of the three players stacked at left tackle on the latest depth chart, head coach Dabo Swinney smiled.

“I’m really okay with our (offensive line) not being settled right now because we’ve got a lot of competition,” he said. “We didn’t have that this time last spring.”

With inordinate depth on both lines and a quarterback approaching his third season as a starter, Swinney heads to summer hoping there won’t be any bumps in the road to unsettle a potentially smooth ride to the Georgia game on Aug. 31.

“The biggest concern for probably every head coach out there going into the summer is that when you have 115 17- to 22-year olds, they have more free time,” he said.

Swinney fielded questions about the depth chart, principally players at offensive left tackle, tight end, receiver and defensive end. Atop the depth chart at left tackle where he started last season, senior Brandon Thomas offers a great deal of flexibility in that he can play either tackle or guard, left or right, “and he really doesn’t care.”

“It doesn’t mean a whole lot right now,” Swinney said of the depth chart. Thomas and right tackle Gifford Timothy “give us a lot of stability,” but redshirt sophomore Eric Mac Lain and sophomore Isaiah
Battle are next at left tackle. Battle, particularly, has the talent to force a move.

“Sometimes guys don’t come as soon as you want them,” Swinney said. “His ability will eventually kick in.”

A converted tight end, Mac Lain has been learning at left tackle, “but I think he’s going to be able to play either tackle, either guard,” Swinney said.

“At the end of the day I just want the best five,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have a guy like Brandon Thomas. Having a guy like Brandon gives us a bunch of flexibility.”

Junior Sam Cooper, the most experienced tight end, sustained a torn ACL in the spring game, but sophomore Stanton Seckinger, freshman Jordan Leggett and redshirt freshman Jay Jay McCullough miss only experience.

“The big thing you lose with Coop is he’s a fourth year vet. He’s crafty, battle tested, smart,” Swinney said. “All three of those guys are very similar athletically. They all have the ability to catch the  ball, run with the ball (and) make people miss.”

Seckinger, a wide receiver in high school, weighed 210 during spring drills. Swinney hoped to see him report at 230. “That kid is tough as nails,” he said. “He needs a little more mass to him … a little more
meat in his pocket.”

Leggett, 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, enrolled in January and was the surprise of spring. “It’s uncanny to see a freshman grasp it the way he did.”

“Incredibly gifted,” McCullough was a high school running back and has been slow to grasp the nuances of the position, but he has the cut of a Dwayne Allen.

Tight ends with ball skills may be more critical with only six scholarship receivers on the roster, though three freshmen are en route. Swinney said it would be an emphasis again with next year’s recruiting
class.

A year in Brent Venables’ defensive scheme resulted in dramatic improvement at the finish, particularly with a more productive pass rush led by end Vic Beasley, whom Swinney described as “our most dynamic guy purely going after the quarterback.”

Juniors Corey Crawford and Tavaris Barnes, bracketed as starters at the other end, are complimentary pieces with high upsides. Sophomore Kevin Dodd has made “amazing” progress behind Beasley.

A sustained pass rush may also work wonders for a secondary that was thin last season due to injury. The corners are bracketed with Garry Peters and Bashaud Breeland on one side and Darius Robinson and Martin Jenkins on the other. Clemson cannot afford a hit at safety but Travis Blanks could be an all-star and Robert Smith has a high football IQ.

“We got eight new bodies coming,” Swinney said of his freshman class. “And we’ve got six guys that have all played. Hopefully those guys will take the next step.”