2021 Tigers may not have the headliners, but they’re made of the right stuff

There is no Trevor Lawrence, there is no Travis Etienne or Isaiah Simmons or Christian Wilkins. I would not say this year’s Clemson Football team is a bunch of no names, but the headliners on the 2021 roster, at least for the moment, are not what it has been the last several years.

But the one thing Dabo Swinney loves about his newest team has nothing to do with star power.

Swinney loves this team’s demeanor.

The Clemson head coach is pleased with how his team has shown an eagerness to be coached, how they are accepting coaching and showing up every day to work.

“I am encouraged,” he said earlier this spring. “This is a team that I think is made of the right stuff and is made of the right ingredients. We have to put it all together. We can’t overcook it and we can’t undercook it. We have a lot of work to do as coaches.”

Swinney likes the makeup of the 2021 Tigers. He feels there is a good mixture of old and new players, but it is a veteran team.

“This is the most veteran team we have had since that 2018 team,” he said. “I’m excited about that.”

Of course, the 2018 team had stars like Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence and Austin Bryant on the defensive line, while other stars included Trayvon Mullen in the secondary, Hunter Renfrow at wide receiver and Mitch Hyatt on the offensive line.

They also had a couple of young stars too, such as Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross.

At least on paper, it appears Clemson has that same kind of mix on its roster for this coming season.

“We have a great mix of really dynamic young talent that I think bodes well for us,” Swinney said. “We have had two really good recruiting classes in a row that I think really set us up for a great present and a great future.”

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