Monday July 23, 2007

Clemson's Offensive Line

Clemson Offensive Line
The most optimistic fans sometimes like to throw out this little nugget whenever they are discussing their team in the pre-season:

“We lost our starter at this position but we will be better here because his back-up was better anyway.”

I love hearing that one. However, it can be the truth but not as often as fans like to use it. In most cases the guy that started last year started for a reason. Now a new starter can improve over the off-season. He may get bigger and stronger. The new starter may gain experience and turn out to be the better player and in many cases do but he was not better last year because he the old starter beat him out.

Clemson coaches have said that this year’s offensive line may be more athletic. They also say that they will miss the experience of Roman Fry, Dustin Fry, Nathan Bennett and Marion Dukes.

In my opinion the offense was never the same after Roman Fry’s injury. Dustin Fry was one of the smartest and strongest centers in school history. Bennett played nasty at times and Dukes was very solid on the edge.

I do believe the coaches when they say they will miss the experience but I also believe them when they say they may be more athletic along the offensive front this season. The four graduating seniors were workers that molded themselves into starters. This upcoming group was higher recruited and had a higher upside.

Barry Richardson returns at left tackle as a four-year starter. At times he looks like he is ready for the NFL and at times he looks like he is a player that came to school at the age of 17 and was forced into duty. Richardson is a good pass protector and the foundation for this offensive line.

Chris Capote was just making his way through the program at a slow rate until he got in the awful automobile crash at the bowl game in Orlando. That woke him up and motivated him to become Duke’s replacement at right tackle. This is the one position that scares me the most along the front but less now that Capote is motivated.

The backups at tackle heading into fall camp are talented but young players. Landon Walker has the ingredients to become a star at Clemson. He is exactly what you are looking for in a young offensive tackle. Walker came to school in January and now has a chance to avoid a red-shirt.

Chris Hairston red-shirted last season and surprised coaches with the way he moves his feet. This is a very athletic tackle that only lacks experience.

Corey Lambert is so close to fulfilling his potential. There are times when the staff feels he is ready for that next step and others where he shows them he is not ready. Lambert is a terrific athlete that must improve his toughness and run blocking.

David Smith is another Greenville High School offensive tackle that is a lot like Hairston and Lambert in that he moves his feet well but will require a red-shirt season to improve his strength.

At guard the Tigers have a little more experience spread over more players. Chris McDuffie started when Roman Fry went down. He is a road grader that looked fantastic in some situations last season. The former defensive linemen’s light came on when he was moved to guard two seasons ago.
There is a good battle at left guard between Brandon Pilgrim and Thomas Austin. Both are experienced and both are talented. Austin is the younger player with more upside but Pilgrim has more experienced. Both are different and have different strengths and weaknesses but both are dependable.

Jamarcus Grant is a big body that looks like he is ready to join the completion after red-shirting and getting acclimated into the system. The sophomore will really be in the mix for more playing time in 2008.

Jamal Medlin is a guy that can play guard or tackle. He had a productive red-shirt season last year but may be a year away from providing a bunch of snaps at either position.

Wilson Norris is a tough, hard-nosed freshman that will require a red-shirt this season but like Grant, McDuffie and Medlin he should compete for a position on the depth chart next season.

Barry Humphries has been inconsistent in several aspects of his career since coming to Clemson but the staff really liked the way he took control of the center position this spring. He showed the staff that he is ready to become a three-year starter and he has the tools to be a very good one as he progresses. Humphries is like Dustin Fry in that he excels in the weight room also.

Depth at center was improved this past spring when walk-on Ben Ramsey stepped up. Bobby Hutchinson has played center and guard and he has improved but still needs to continue to improve at his current rate to be a factor.

Clemson may have signed its center of the future in Mason Cloy. The Columbia native reminds us of Thomas Austin in so many ways and that can be taken as a compliment. Cloy is probably not ready to play this season but his time is not too far away because of his work ethic.

In summary, this group could be one that never gels and one that lacks continuity and the missing experience of last year’s group could be noticed early. However, it is also a group that could start four seniors. The younger offensive linemen are the more talented players and the future for Brad Scott and his crew appear to be very bright. Also I mentioned it a few weeks ago on the blog but it bears repeating that this group has the pleasure of blocking for two great backs and in my opinion Davis and Spiller can help make an offensive line look very good.

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