Clemson football is finally back.
The Tigers will kick off fall camp on Thursday, and despite all of the production that returns on both sides of the ball, there are multiple storylines worth following as the team begins preparation for the upcoming season.
5 Things to Watch For
1. Toting the Rock: Arguably, the biggest question surrounding this team is how things shake out at running back. Coaches and players alike have raved about Adam Randall’s transformation after being moved from wide receiver ahead of the playoff loss to Texas late last year. Just last week, Cade Klubnik grinned widely when asked about Randall, noting he’d bulked up to 235-240 pounds without losing any of his speed. The job does appear to be his entering camp.
The question becomes how quickly true freshman Gideon Davidson soaks everything up. Davidson certainly looked the part in the spring game, but there is a big difference between playing in that glorified exhibition compared to running out there against LSU in primetime.
The Tigers absolutely need to come out of camp with the coaches having trust in more than one back, and Jay Haynes isn’t expected to be a full go when camp starts due to the torn ACL he suffered in the ACC Championship Game. How quickly he makes it back is yet to be determined.
Redshirt freshman David Eziomume is a candidate to potentially see his snaps increase. Watching him in the spring game, Eziomume looked like a different player compared to a year ago. It will be interesting to see exactly where he is in his development. Keith Adams and Jarvis Green also return, and Peyton Streko is being put on scholarship after walking on last year.
2. Special Teams Improvements: Clemson has to be better on special teams. Nolan Hauser had six field goals blocked last season due to protection issues, and those have to be fixed, no question. Anyone inside that building will tell you that having that many blocked is not acceptable on any level.
Punting is another area in which the Tigers struggled last season. Dabo Swinney recently detailed his decision not to seek a punter in the portal, noting his faith in the ability of the guys in the room.
“If we are terrible, y’all can all blame me,” the head coach said.
Ironically enough, the job is still wide open, with Jack Smith and Will McCune battling it out. Smith came out of the spring with the edge, but that doesn’t guarantee him the job by any stretch. Robert Gunn also did some punting during the spring, so this thing could possibly become a three-man battle.
3. Replacing RJ: With RJ Mickens now gone, replacing his production won’t be easy. Mickens was a fixture on the backend of the defense in recent years, saving his best for his final season. In turn, that has led to some questions from fans regarding the safety position.
However, Mickey Conn feels really good about his room, and while some on the outside looking in might have some concerns, he does not.
“I don’t have any question marks,” he said. “We have done a good job recruiting guys, so we’ve got guys in place that are competing for starting positions.”
Entering his second season, Ricardo Jones looks primed to take on a bigger role. Jones flashed a lot as a freshman, displaying really good ball skills. Ronan Hanafin is another name to keep an eye on. Kylon Griffin logged more than 360 snaps last year, so he’s played plenty of football at this point. So, there’s some talent there, some of it just isn’t all that experienced.
4. Defensive End Depth: This is one spot where the Tigers really need to stay healthy. While Will Heldt was brought in to solidify the spot opposite T.J. Parker, an injury to one of those players and Clemson is right back in the same spot it was last season.
Jahiem Lawson needs to take another step, because he is going to be needed. While there was a lot to like about him last year when he was on the field, he has some room to improve when it comes to his run defense. Cade Denhoff was also inconsistent against the run.
This team would be in a much better spot depth-wise if Darien Mayo shows he is ready to contribute, meaning this is a big fall for the redshirt freshman.
5. Jeremiah Alexander’s Role: Speaking of depth, Clemson doesn’t have a ton of it behind Sammy Brown and Wade Woodaz. At least not experienced depth. Kobe McCloud sounds like he is ready ro roll after suffering a knee injury last season, while Dee Crayton is also back.
However, it is Alexander who is the most intriguing. The former five-star spent most of the spring working out at the MIKE behind Brown, but Ben Boulware made it clear a couple of weeks ago that Alexander won’t be pigeonholed into one position.
“We’ll definitely get creative,” the first-year linebackers coach said. “We know he has experience rushing the passer, and he has a great arsenal and a lot of tools in his tool belt when it comes to rushing off the edge. So we’ll use him in a multitude of different ways. He’s super smart. He can be a three-position guy, and he’s not going to get locked in at the MIKE.”
It will be interesting to see exactly what the plans are for Alexander and exactly how creative the staff gets when it comes to his use.