Spring football practice officially begins this afternoon for the team that finished second nationally in 2015.
The obvious question mark for Clemson heading into the spring is the loss of seven starters on defense, including three in the secondary. Can the defense, for a second straight year, replace so many starters without having much a drop off?
“They recruit every year. They are ready. It is a big-time business. They’re going to be good,” former Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander said this past weekend at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “They will be fine. We heard it from my two years on the field so I’m sure they are hearing it now. That’s going to motivate them, especially with what we do at Clemson.”
The good news for the Tigers is the return of eight starters on an offense that averaged 38.5 points and 514.5 yards per game in 2015. Leading the offense is none other than quarterback Deshaun Watson, who won both the Davey O’Brien and Manning Awards as the nation’s best quarterback in 2015.
“Deshaun Watson is a special guy,” Alexander said smiling. “I’m smiling right now because his potential is amazing. He is young, but he has a lot of time to develop. He plays much older than what everybody else expects. He is a great talent, has a great arm. He is a better person than what people expect him to be and he is low maintenance. He just gets the job done for us.
“He is a great talent.”
Besides Watson, Clemson also returns running back Wayne Gallman and his 1,500 yards, wide receivers Artavis Scott and Mike Williams and tight end Jordan Leggett, who led the team with eight touchdown receptions in 2015.
The dilemma the Clemson coaching staff will have this spring on offense is deciding how many snaps each of these guys will take. They already know what they will get from Watson, Gallman, Williams, Scott and Leggett so how many of the snaps do they give to the backups, who more than likely need the reps more than they do.
The only positions to really keep an eye on from an offensive standpoint, other than the development of Kelly Bryant at quarterback, are the depth situations at left and right tackle. Right now, besides the two they have starting, there is not a true left or right tackle in camp so offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell will have to cross train a lot of the interior guys to provide some depth for Mitch Hyatt and Jake Fruhmorgen. Also, don’t be surprised to see someone from another position move over to help with depth.
The Tigers are in a little bit better situation at the defensive end positions despite the losses of potential first-round draft picks Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd. Heading into the spring Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant are the favorites in my eyes to be the starters when it is all said and done this spring. This is also a big spring for Chris Register, who moved over to defensive end near the end of the season in 2015. Clemson will also need to a big spring from Richard Yeargin to help with the depth.
Of course everyone is going to be watching the five-star linebackers Tre Lamar and Shaq Smith this spring. The two enrolled in January so they could participate in spring drills, which should be beneficial to a linebacking corps that all of sudden is potentially bigger, better and strong than it was a year ago. Lamar more than likely will help out at middle linebacker, while Smith can play all three positions.
The most intriguing thing to watch is the secondary, where the Tigers must replace three starters. Unexpectedly, Clemson lost both of its safeties to the NFL Draft as Jayron Kearse and T.J. Green bolted for the NFL. Due to their experience at the positions, Jadar Johnson and Korrin Wiggins will be the expected starter there, but the development of Tanner Muse and Van Smith is what you really need to watch this spring. The Tigers will need a big spring out of both of those young men as they try to develop some depth at safety.
Clemson is in a little better shape at the corner positions than people think. Of course Cordrea Tankersley will take over as the No. 1 guy with Alexander now vying for a top spot in the NFL Draft. Tankersley will more than likely be backed up this spring by Marcus Edmond.
On the other side, look for Mark Fields and Adrian Baker to do battle, with Kaleb Chalmers pushing both. Ryan Carter will also push for playing time at corner, but he will more than likely be the Tigers’ starter at nickel back heading into the summer.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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