Clemson has received no shortage of hype over the offseason, with many seeing the Tigers as worthy of competing for a national title.
With a wealth of experience returning on both sides of the ball, including a senior quarterback in Cade Klubnik, it’s easy to see why Dabo Swinney’s team is getting so much done.
However, despite all that experience that returns, and with fall camp rapidly approaching, this Clemson team faces some legitimate questions.
3 Burning Questions
Impact of Tom Allen in Year 1? The play of the Clemson defense left a lot to be desired last season. The Tigers didn’t even finish in the top half of the ACC in yards allowed (374.1). The scoring defense wasn’t much better. The Tigers allowed 23.4 points per game, ranking 53rd nationally.
Clemson gave up 73 plays of 20 or more yards, which ranked tied for 126 nationally. It also allowed 28 plays of 30 or more yards, which was tied for 91st nationally.
But it was the run defense that struggled the most, with the Tigers giving up 4.7 yards per carry. You have to go all the way back to 1975 to find a Clemson defense that allowed that many yards per carry.
If the Tigers are going to live up to the lofty expectations that are in place, the defense has to play up to its potential. There is just too much talent on that side of the ball to be as bad as they were last year.
Enter Tom Allen. The defensive guru was hired to ensure this defense gets back to playing to the standard that has been set at Clemson. Allen’s defense was a big part of Penn State making a run to the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff.
With players like Peter Woods, Demonte Capehart and TJ Parker all returning, and Swinney signing Will Heldt out of the portal, this group has the makings of being one of the more disruptive defensive lines in the country. And the better the guys up front play, the easier it is on the back seven, particularly the secondary.
When Clemson kicks off the season at home against LSU, all eyes will be on the defense and how it matches up against what is expected to be a high-powered offense.
Can Clemson Get More from Running Game? As the 2024 season wore on, it became increasingly obvious that the coaching staff didn’t have much trust in any of the backs behind Phil Mafah. Despite playing with a shoulder injury that got worse as the season wore on, Mafah remained the featured back, getting a bulk of the carries. Even when it was readily apparent he was no longer effective.
Prior to the playoff loss to Texas, Adam Randall was moved to running back. This came after Jay Haynes tore an ACL in the ACC Championship win over SMU. Randall received a lot of high praise during the spring and remained atop the depth chart throughout.
The Tigers also signed one of the best running backs in the country last December in Gideon Davidson. The consensus four-star talent turned many heads during the spring. Coaches and players all raved about the newest addition to the running back room.
Haynes will be about eight months removed from his injury when camp starts, so it will be interesting to see exactly where he’s at. Another one worth keeping an eye on is David Eziomume. After redshirting last year, Eziomume showed a lot of promise in the spring game.
That is four backs that should be capable of contributing. Jarvis Green and Keith Adams Jr. are both back as well, so it’s not like there are no options.
No matter who it is, the staff needs to have three backs they have some trust in. Randall and Davidson will see the field plenty, but who else steps up? If the Tigers are going to make it back to the playoff and make some noise once they get there, having more depth at running back is an absolute must.
Who’s the Punter? If the spring game was any indication, punter might be the biggest question mark for this team. Although if that is your biggest worry heading into the season, you’re team is likely in a pretty good spot.
Jack Smith, who was a highly-touted punter coming out of high school, is entering his fourth season in the program, meaning he has patiently waited his turn. Having said that, once it is your turn, you have to go out and produce, and Smith has yet to do that.
Will McCune was the only other player who punted in the spring game. Robert Gunn also did some punting in the spring. Charlie Reed, the younger brother of offensive lineman Ian Reed, was added to the roster last month. He is listed as a placekicker on Clemson’s official website, but he did do some punting in high school. He was also a member of the Tigers’ soccer team last year.
Getting one of those punters ready for primetime is an absolute must.