By Will Vandervort.
With Clemson expected to return its best playmaker at quarterback, its leading rusher and its two top wide receivers, it doesn’t seem as if there is too much need on the offensive side of the football in 2015.
But that’s not true.
The Tigers have both question marks on both the offensive line—which always seems to be the case—and at tight end. But of the two, which one is the more pressing issue? There is a good argument for both but considering if Deshaun Watson is healthy he can mask most issues Clemson will have up front, though I feel the offensive line will be better than it was this past year.
As Clemson gets ready for spring practice, which should begin sometime in March, the tight end position, to me, is the most intriguing position to keep an eye on.
The Tigers are losing three-year starter Sam Cooper to graduation. Though Stanton Seckinger and Jordan Leggett are set to return, how healthy will they be and will they be ready. Neither of them could stay off the injury list in 2014 and Seckinger ended the season with reconstructive knee surgery. A knee injury during the first few practices for the Russell Athletic Bowl held Leggett out of the Oklahoma game.
As for Jay Jay McCullough, his future with the team is still up in the air.
But, as head coach Dabo Swinney said last year, help is on the way. Actually, it has been on campus since last summer. Milan Richard and Cannon Smith are expected to challenge Leggett and Seckinger for playing time next fall and considering the veterans are not entirely healthy, the two redshirt freshmen will have an opportunity to really impress the coaches during spring drills.
Richard (6-3, 235), the nephew of former Georgia running back and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, was one of the top tight ends coming out of Calvary High School in Savannah. The all-state tight end caught 29 passes for 502 yards and five touchdowns while leading his team to a state championship.
Smith (6-5, 235) also comes from a football family. His father, Bill, was the starting defensive end for the 1981 Clemson football team that won the Orange Bowl and claimed the program’s only national championship. He made the play of the season when he forced a fumble that preserved the Tigers’ 10-8 victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He also recorded 10 tackles to lead the team in their win over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.
As for his son, Cannon, he too was rated as one of the nation’s best tight ends coming out of high school at Hammond School in Columbia. The younger Smith had 300 yards on just 15 receptions while leading his team to a state title as well during his senior year. He also hauled in 31 passes for 460 yards and four touchdowns as a junior.
Both young men had excellent workouts during power-hour drills and have gotten bigger and stronger in the process. During bowl prep, Richard and Smith stood out and were bragged about by defensive coordinator Brent Venables and Swinney for their work on the scout team.
Garrett Williams, a four-star prospect out of First Academy in Orlando, will be joining the team in the summer. He stands at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and will give the Tigers another talented player to work with and push for playing time.
It’s no consistence the spring following the Tigers’ least productive year from the tight end position in quite some time has two big-time recruits ready to challenge, while a third is on his way to Tigertown. Depth is finally good again at tight end, which makes for good competition and an intriguing match ups to watch this spring and summer.