We continue look at the cornerback position on the football team to examine where each player stands right now in his group on the depth chart. We will look back on the 2015 season for analysis and attempt to forecast what the 2016 depth chart might look like in a few months.
Mark Fields, So.
One of the biggest questions that went largely unasked last season concerned the absence of Mark Fields on the field. The play of Tankersley and Mackensie Alexander muted those concerns, but many prognosticators figured Fields could start for the Tigers as a true freshman. Instead, the youngster never really earned consistent time on the field, but that will likely change in 2016.
Dabo Swinney has been critical of Fields’ approach during his first season after the fact, saying he lacked focus and came in with a nonchalant attitude. But Clemson’s head coach said this spring that Fields appears to have learned from those mistakes. He will spend an entire offseason as the de facto starter opposite Tankersley, an appointment that could raise his attention level.
It seems likely Fields will eclipse the five tackles he limped home with for the whole season in 2015. Much will depend on how quickly Baker can come back from his injury. Swinney has been adamant that the cornerback position isn’t shallow, but that the players he has can play and win games for the Tigers. Fields has been named in that group, and time will tell if Swinney’s public confidence in the sophomore is rewarded.
Adrian Baker, RS Jr.
Thinking back to Baker’s recruitment, it seems remarkable that he spent three whole seasons in the Clemson football program without ascending into a starting role. Somehow, Cordrea Tankersley leapt ahead of him in the pecking order, and Baker’s development took a bit longer than anyone imagined. Finally, the fourth-year player finds himself as a starter, albeit with a caveat as spring practice concludes.
Baker had 13 tackles and two interceptions a season ago, but one play will be associated with him for a long time. Against Florida State, the Sunshine State native made a beautiful play on a ball lobbed toward the end zone, picking off a pass to halt any momentum the Seminoles had early in Clemson’s division-clinching victory. For many fans, that singular play was enough for Baker to consider 2015 a success.
The bad news for Baker is that while coaches expected him to seize the second cornerback spot in the spring, his body had different plans. A torn knee ligament will sideline Baker for at least six months, meaning his recovery will run right up to—and possibly through—the start of the season. Clemson’s staff is optimistic about that timetable, but lots of offseason time that Baker would have otherwise spent refining his skill will now be utilized recovering strength in his knee. It will be interesting to see what the depth chart looks like in September at this position.
Amir Trapp, RS Fr.
Little is expected of Trapp this season, but it seems premature to count him out based on numbers alone. Fans will probably see someone like Ryan Carter take the field before Trapp, but Swinney has said the diminutive son of former NFL veteran James Trapp can help this team. In 2016, that contribution will probably need to happen on special teams.
God Bless!
WQ
If you haven’t already order your copy today of Guts & Glory – Tales of Clemson’s Historic 2015 Football Season to help you celebrate and remember this special season.
