Re: TNET: Thomas Austin looking for functional depth, but also looking at transfer portal

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Re: O-Line is a puzzlement to me. For years, we did not seem to

Apr 29, 2022, 11:45 AM

We knew and saw Thomas Austin as a player at Clemson, and I don't think there was a player that out worked him, or out smarted him on the entire team during his time at/with Clemson FB. I'm calling it right here today, give Thomas Austin 4-5 years as our O Line coach, and he will be one of the most sought after O line coaches in the country.

As a hard worker, plus being really smart, along with the time that Thomas spent as an O lineman at Clemson, and with the time he has worked with the O line at other schools, plus coming back to Clemson and filling a position as an off the field assistant to Robbie Caldwell.

Dabo has made sure, and has done an incredible job at making sure that Thomas was well groomed for taking over the position at Clemson that Robbie Caldwell has held on to since a little after Dabo becoming the HC at Clemson. Now that Robbie has stepped down as the O line coach at Clemson, a well groomed Thomas Austin steps in, and it want take long before his experience, and the years of his grooming to be the O line coach at Clemson starts to show positive results, and it won't be long before HC's from all over the country will be making attempts to hire Thomas Austin away from Clemson, that I personally don't believe that will happen any time soon. But,

If the NIL and the transfer portal ruins college FB as we knew it, I feel almost sure that our Clemson will be one of the small colleges in a very small town that will be one of the power 5 FB schools that won't be able to keep up the Joneses, and our FB program will fall out of contention of being a power house FB program. If and when that may happen, I believe that our Thomas Austin will land on his feet at one of the best, richest FB programs where the players are being paid a lot more than the coaches, just as they are in the NFL, and that will mean that the rich has finally done what they intended to do when they realized how big college FB had gotten across the our country, and over seas. they saw a huge market if they could professionalizing college sports, and they did. The way that college players are being paid now, that was to only open the door to the way they will be paid in the next few years after scrubbing out the smaller schools in the smaller town across the country. After they clean that up, the wallets will open, and they will be paid close to the same bases as it's done with pro sports!!!

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For ever and ever, the hardest position for coaches to evaluate has been O-line recruits.

Clemson is no different than the other schools. (And it's not a R.Caldwell or T.Austin 'problem.')

The difference is that Clemson has a smaller 'O-Line room' than most other colleges. That is a HC decision. We don't 'miss' any more often than the other schools ... heck I'd wager that our success rate is better than the typical other school.

For that matter, I believe that we have done better (in general) with developing 3* players into stars: Jordan McFadden - 3*, Tremayne Anchrum - 3*, Tyler Shatley -3* (came over from defense), Gage Cervenka -3* (came over from defense). Years back, Roman Fry was another 3* recruit who played really well for us at OG.

We have missed on some 4* recruits, and may end up missing on some 5* recruits (hope not!), but again, our 'hit rate' on 4* and 5* is pretty good ... like it is with most other schools that are fortunate enough to sign those players.

But it's a probability game overall, and with a smaller O-Line room we MUST be better at evaluations and developent than the other schools. When we miss, our misses hurt us disproportionately.

TNET: Thomas Austin looking for functional depth, but also looking at transfer portal