Tigers and Bulldogs: What we know and what we think |
One week. Seven days. That’s all that’s left between us and the season opener against Georgia.
A week from today the Tigers and Bulldogs will kick off the season, a few seconds or minutes after high noon, on ABC. The long wait – 246 days – will be over. Our access during Clemson’s August camp is limited, at least from a watching standpoint. We have three or four opportunities to watch the start of practice, usually stretching and a special teams period and drill work, and then we are booted from the premises. We are not allowed to watch the PAW or WIN drills (old Oklahoma drill), so our perceptions are gained from those brief viewing windows, talking to players and head coach Dabo Swinney (we no longer are allowed to talk to the coordinators during camp), and what we can glean from those viewing windows that we are allowed to observe. With a week to go, what do we know? What do we think? Let’s take a look: This team is healthy, but... The Tigers are healthy at spots where they haven’t been healthy in a while, even at wide receiver. But cornerback is another matter. Jeadyn Lukus was in a green jersey during the middle of camp, and after the trouble he’s had with shoulder injuries, the coaches have to hope he’s able to step in and not only play but play well, and with physicality against the Bulldogs. Shelton Lewis, expected to be a key cog at corner after making huge strides as a freshman, injured his leg in practice. Swinney says Lewis is day-to-day, but if he’s unable to go, the Tigers might have to rely on a true freshman for valuable snaps. The good news? Freshman Ashton Hampton has drawn rave reviews in camp. Cade Klubnik has stacked good days on good days One issue with starting quarterback Cade Klubnik last season was his inconsistency. He can wow you one play and then make you scratch your head on the next one. But he’s had a more than solid camp, and former players who have attended have used words like “crisp” and “sharp” and “mature” to describe what they’ve seen. As another observer told me, Klubnik has stacked good days on good days, and that type of consistency is key to his development. The defense has a tough test After years of hearing how the defense has dominated camp scrimmages and practices, it’s been refreshing to hear that the offense has not only held its own but won several days. That should make everybody happy, that both sides are showing they can win against another good unit, but what it led to was my email blowing up with, “So now the defense is terrible. Is Wes Goodwin on the hot seat? I’ve heard we are weak and undisciplined.” You get it. The August freak out. But this defense is talented and we’ve heard that when the offense wins, it’s because talented players are finally stepping to the forefront. The task against Georgia is tough, to be sure, but this group has playmakers at all three levels. The details matter more than ever From the early days of fall camp, there was an apparent attempt to set the tone. Nick Eason watched as the defensive starters trotted onto the field for a simple field goal drill. Eason didn’t take long to send the group back multiple times until they hustled to the right spots. His passionate speech echoed throughout the practice field, preaching a sense of urgency every time his unit stepped on the gridiron. He finished his speech with up-downs for the entire unit. From there, Barrett Carter and Peter Woods took Eason’s words and took the practice to another level. If anyone understands the need to focus on the details heading into the opener, it is undoubtedly Clemson’s senior linebacker. Carter certainly remembers the Duke opener catching the team off-guard, with the weeks following interviews revealing how unprepared the Tigers were to kick off the season. The lack of readiness translated on the field against the Blue Devils, with the minor details slipping through the cracks, creating various issues in 2023. Moving into the new year, the details are more important than ever. Dabo Swinney has dawned a shirt with the message “FIN1SH.” If we’ve noticed anything throughout camp, it has been that the details have risen from the ashes and will be needed more than ever against Georgia. We’ve heard how hungry this team is to right the wrongs of last fall. Correcting the fixable mistakes will go a long way toward determining Clemson’s destiny. The freshman class is loaded with talent During the first day of Dabo Swinney’s high school camp in June, we got our first look at TJ Moore on campus. Moore was paired with Adam Randall, soaking in what Randall had to say to the campers. Moore’s eagerness to soak up as much information as he could wasn’t what stood out to us -- it was his size. The freshman receiver was a summer enrollee, adding to the hype of what he and Wesco could bring to this receiving corps. So far, returns on the freshmen wideouts have been nothing but positive. Dabo Swinney has used his media availability, especially in his post-scrimmage reports to praise the freshmen as “naturals.” Swinney believes they have six starters at receiver, and we believe Wesco is one of those six. We are willing to bet Moore isn’t far behind, but it comes down to how fast he can learn the playbook to its fullest extent. The receivers aren’t the only freshmen who have caught the staff's attention as Christian Bentancur has a high bar set for him. Swinney referred to the freshman tight end as one of the most pure athletes they have ever signed. Based on what we’ve seen from him in practice, it is easy to see why he has such high expectations. Bentancur’s crisp burst off the line, paired with size and athleticism, will make it challenging to keep him off the field, even so early in his career. Moving to the defensive side of the ball, Sammy Brown continues to make plays and earn praise from the staff. Brown has been making several key plays in scrimmages, continuing to shine when it matters most. The freshman linebacker is finding his way into the rotation and will be critical to the Tigers’ success early on. One player who didn’t have the five-star ranking heading into camp but is undoubtedly playing on another level has been the aforementioned Hampton. With injuries to the cornerback room, Hampton has found his way onto the field early, and has made the most of every opportunity. When you ask TJ Parker, who would know a thing or two about what makes a productive freshman, he said Hampton’s energy has been a game changer. “I see a high-energy type of guy,” Parker said. “He gets in the locker room as early as possible with a smile on his face. He gets on the field and makes plays. I love that energy because you may not be having a high-energy day, but you see someone as young as him pumped up; it makes the defense better.” Last fall, Clemson’s freshman class contributed in a massive way down the stretch. For the Tigers to get back to where they want to be, another freshman class will be relied upon early to start 2024 in the right direction.
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