The TCI staff of Ed McGranahan, Hale McGranahan, Will Vandervort, William Qualkinbush and Robert MacRae go Around the Horn to answer some of the questions surrounding Clemson athletics.
What is the biggest concern heading into training camp for the Tigers — running back or right tackle?
Ed McGranahan: “Given the choice, any position on the offensive line is more critical than running back. In fact, neither are the chief concern. Everybody’s taking for granted that Cole Stoudt can handle the job. Quarterback — by far — is the biggest concern. In the pecking order, running back falls behind quarterback, right tackle, cornerback and place kicker. There are enough bodies that should allow Chad Morris to go with who’s hot. Remember, Rod McDowell rushed for 1,000 yards. What’s to worry.”
William Qualkinbush: “Right tackle is the biggest concern because it’s the only place on the field where an obvious starter doesn’t currently exist. You have two players with opposite strengths in Shaq Anthony (pass blocking) and Joe Gore (run blocking) in the mix, and I’m not sure there’s supreme confidence in either one of them at this point. The coaching staff, particularly Chad Morris, definitely wants—nay, desperately needs—to feel good about one of these guys in a month. On a team stacked with talent all over the field, there seems to be a clear hierarchy everywhere. Even the position battles that exist heading into the preseason appear to be contested between two (or more) solid choices. I’m not sure many people feel that any of the running backs would be a bad choice, but right tackle is different. Both Anthony and Gore have much to prove over the next few weeks as their head-to-head showdown shakes out, much more than any of the prospective candidates at tailback.”
Will Vandervort: “I think the running back position is huge a question mark and is a big concern for me. The Tigers have no one returning with more than 365 career yards and that includes senior D.J. Howard and junior Zac Brooks. With freshman Tyshon Dye out with an Achilles heel injury in the spring, Howard nor Brooks took control of the starting spot. C.J. Davidson, a former walk-on, had a productive spring and redshirt freshman Wayne Gallman continued to make strides, but neither one of those guys seem to be ready to be a featured back in Chad Morris’ offense. I’m not sold on this is a group that can get it done by committee. I’m interested to see if highly regarded running back Adam Choice can make a dent in the rotation or if Dye comes back in October and becomes the back Morris hopes he can be in this offense.”
Hale McGranahan: “There’s little doubt in my mind that the offensive brain trust at Clemson will eventually find the right blend with all of those guys in that crowded backfield, so I wouldn’t be too worried about the situation at running back. Right tackle, to me, is the bigger concern. The most experienced guy at right tackle (Shaq Anthony) has been pretty inconsistent throughout his career while
the other candidates (Joe Gore and Eric Mac Lain) are relatively inexperienced. Not counting place kicker, I think right tackle is the biggest question mark for this team as it heads into 2014.”
Robert MacRae: “I’ll have to say right tackle is a bigger concern. Frankly both tackle positions are a bigger concern. There is plenty of talent at running back. The only question there is will someone separate this month or will it be running back by committee going into Athens. With Shaq Anthony sidelined for the Georgia game, right tackle is a huge concern. Joe Gore has all the potential in the world, but we haven’t seen that translate to the field yet. Davis and Mac Lain are options, but neither are proven at tackle. It should be a fun battle in camp. For the record Dabo Swinney has also said he is concerned at tackle, but we haven’t heard concerns from him at running back.”
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