ESPN: NFL scout 'not shocked' at state of Clemson offense |
Brandon Rink
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- Thursday, September 05 2024
ESPN went through some Week 2 storylines and judged what to make of the 34-3 Clemson-Georgia result with the use of some sources.
One NFL scout told the outlet he wasn't surprised by the offensive struggles, which is sitting at 123rd in yards per play in a tie with Texas A&M for the cellar of 'Power'football (3.6). "I'm not shocked that they weren't good on offense," an NFL scout told ESPN's Heather Dinich. "I don't know if you can change offensive line coaches and miraculously get better. It's a recruiting issue more than it is a coaching issue -- probably a little bit of both." There was a similar refrain from a former Alabama assistant, said Dinich: One former Alabama assistant remembers what Clemson was like when it was competing for the national title. "Those 50-50 balls back then for them were 90-10 balls," he said. "It was so different." An ACC head coach did stick up for Dabo Swinney's general philosophy with the roster management and transfer portal use. "It's not as much about recruiting as it is identifying," the coach told Dinich. "We all have our misses and we all have our hits. You gotta have really good sets of eyes on your staff, and guys with conviction who are willing to do the hours and hours of work to find out what is the legitimate DNA and makeup of the guys you're bringing to your program. It's all about the people." Looking ahead to Saturday's game with Appalachian State, where the Tigers are a 17-point favorite, one source said not to sleep on the Mountaineers. "This will be an interesting week for them, how they're going to prepare for a team that's going to have some swagger going in there," an ACC coach said. "App State's not afraid of anybody. They're tough and physical. I'd be surprised if they don't make it a really good game."
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