Austin analyzes if changes might come with the offensive line in new system

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Feb 17 07:00:18 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin will be without two of his starters this spring as the Tigers undergo an offensive overhaul.

Thomas said earlier this month that right guard Walker Parks and left guard Marcus Tate will miss the spring while recovering from offseason surgery. The Tigers have a new offensive coordinator in Garrett Riley and a new system – the Air Raid – but Austin sees a lot of similarities to what Clemson has done in the past.

“Schematically, there shouldn't be a lot of changes. I've watched several of their games and they run inside zone, they run counter,” Austin said. “They run draws, they run screens. Six-man protection, five-man protection. That stuff is not going to change. You might formation it differently and the terminology will certainly be different, or the calls might be different. But the inside zone is the inside zone, so that isn't going to change. What he did at TCU, that was his top run, and that has been our top run. I think that will help us.”

Austin said the coaches will have different players at different spots this spring in an effort to find the best five to put on the field. Right tackle Blake Miller will take some snaps at left tackle, along with Tristan Leigh and Collin Sadler, while Mitchell Mayes will continue at guard. John Williams can also play multiple spots.

“It's an emphasis (to cross-train players). For us, you have to put the best five on the field,” Austin said. “It became evident to us about a week into training camp that Blake Miller was one of our best five players. So, what is our option? You don't want Walker Parks on the bench. So you move Walker to guard and Will Putnam to center to give yourself your best five. When you guys get here, you want them to learn the offense, especially the first half of spring practice.

“But as you get into it, you gotta mix and match groups a little bit to see who your best five are. And you might have a little bit of an idea where you think they might start, but they might end up being a better player at a different position. And so we cross-train individually and we cross-train throughout practice to give ourselves that flexibility. When you look at the NFL, they only dress seven offensive linemen. It prepares our guys for the next level.”

Austin will add three talented freshmen into the mix this season – offensive line signees Harris Sewell, Ian Reed, and Zack Owens. All three are big, and all three can play multiple positions, a must under Austin.

“They are all big. We wanted to get bigger, and that has been a point of emphasis,” Austin said. “They come from winning programs and they know how to win, and they know how to compete, and they know what it takes to be successful. And they all have position flexibility, which means they can play multiple positions which gives you options.”