Clemson will hold its second major scrimmage of the spring this afternoon. It will mark the Tigers 12th practice of the spring, leaving them with just two practices and the Spring Game on April 3 to conclude spring drills.
The Tigers have accomplished a lot, but there are definitely a few things head coach Dabo Swinney wants to see in these final four practices.
“It starts with the offensive line. That is number one,” he said. “How many of those guys can we come out of the spring showing like they can (do it). That starts first and foremost.
“We have some guys in the secondary that we really need to come through for us. So, we are putting them in some challenging situations to see where they are.”
Swinney also wants to see more out of backup quarterback Taisun Phommachanh. The redshirt sophomore missed a few of the earlier practices this spring, including the first scrimmage due to being in protocol.
Phommachanh has played very little in each of his first two seasons at Clemson. He enters 2021 having completed just 11-of-29 passes for 73 yards and rushing for 81 yards on 19 carries in seven career games.
Last year, Phommachanh completed 5-of-17 passes for 17 yards and rushed seven times for 25 yards in 43 snaps over four games. In 2019, he played in three games while redshirting, completing 6-of-12 passes for 56 yards and rushing for 56 yards on 12 carries.
“He is a guy that just does not have be ready to play, but he has to be ready to go win the game,” Swinney said. “I really want him to really prepare and think as a starter. That is something I want to see … that type of urgency from him. He missed some practice in the first half, so I think this is a very critical time for him these next couple of weeks.”
Clemson will conclude spring practice on April 3 with its annual Spring Game at Death Valley. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m. and will be televised on the ACC Network.
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