a way-too-early look at 2005 for Low Country Home Builder

Nov 1, 2004, 6:11 PM

'05 OFFENSIVE PERSONNEL
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QUARTERBACK: (4)
Charlie Whitehurst (RS SR), Will Proctor (RS JR), Tribble Reese (RS FR), Cullen Harper (RS FR)
*The early skinny: loaded. Charlie's better than he's been able to show this year, and Proctor looked like a solid #2 this spring. Tribble Reese is real good, folks (to put it mildly)...I still have yet to see Cullen Harper throw a pass; he's the X-factor.

RUNNING BACK: (5 tailbacks, 2 FB)
Kyle Browning (RS SR), FB-Clifford Harrell (RS SR), FB-Steven Jackson (RS SR), Duane Coleman (SR*), Reggie Merriweather (RS JR), Brandon Nolan (RS SO), Tony Nelson (FR)
*The early skinny: Solid to very good. Merriweather & Coleman are the best 1-2 Clemson's had in recent memory. Nolan looked pretty good this spring. Clemson's looking to recruit a second tailback besides Maryland product Tony Nelson...probably Mike Davis out of Columbia or James Davis out of Georgia...both are four-stars, and big-time players. Clemson probably needs to grab a fullback this class; both Harrell and Jackson are seniors in '05 and will be gone in '06.

WIDE RECEIVERS: (10)
Curtis Baham (RS SR), Michael Collins (RS SR), Chansi Stuckey (RS JR), Kelvin Grant (RS JR), Gerald McCloud (RS JR), Chris Jefferson (RS SO), La'Dontae Harris (SO), Aaron Kelly (RS FR), Andrew Diomande (RS FR), Rendrick Taylor (FR)
The early skinny: Lookin' bad, much worse than most thought. Once Currie's gone, there won't be a single established go-to guy left at wideout, and that's bad. Baham's probably the best of the bunch at present, and honestly he's a good-hands slot guy with just-adequate physical talent. Collins is huge but lacks speed and doesn't separate in the open field at all. Kelvin Grant was supposed to make everybody forget Kevin Youngblood...obviously, he hasn't. Chansi Stuckey was supposed to make everybody forget Derrick Hamilton...he hasn't done that either, though he has had injury problems and admittedly is converting from QB. Gerald McCloud has some physical tools and could emerge, but he's raw and isn't a blazer either. Chris Jefferson is tall, quick, and elusive but he can't put on weight and will get killed if he tries to play at 160 pounds. La'Dontae Harris is a younger, somewhat faster version of Baham, but he doesn't run routes nearly as well yet.

There is good news, but they're all real young: Aaron Kelly is 6'5", runs about 4.45, and catches very well...he needs to step up big. Dabo Swinney is real high on Andrew Diomande - who was a last-second replacement for Mike McIntosh - and says Diomande's potentially the best of the bunch, and a serious find...but Diomande hasn't played much football and is real raw. Rendrick Taylor is like former Seminole and current Arizona Cardinal Anquan Boldin, with dreads...a pumped-up monster of a wideout who lacks great speed but is super-athletic, smoother than smooth and catches everything thrown in his zip code. Clemson's also in the running for North Augusta's CJ Byrd, and Florida product TJ Williams. Byrd's your 6'3" prototype, and TJ Williams is just a big play waiting to happen, looks like a typical Miami Hurricane wide receiver. Clemson gets either guy, celebrate.

TIGHT END: (4)
Zach Green (RS JR), Cole Downer* (SR), Paul Muse (FR), Durrell Barry (FR)
*The early skinny: unless the staff moves Bobby Williamson back from DE (where he's excelled), expect Green to start at TE. The staff's been using Downer as a blocking tight end as well...not surprisingly, Downer's basically a third tackle. Paul Muse and Durrell Barry are a couple of talented true froshes...Muse is the better blocker, while Barry is a king-sized wideout with 4.6-type speed who can get down the field and catch the ball. Looks OK-to-fair, if a bit young, but the TE position has never been emphasized at Clemson anyway.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE: (6)
Marion Dukes (JR), Barry Richardson (SO), Akeem Robinson (RS FR), Corey Lambert (FR), Jamarcus Grant (FR), Quentez Ruffin (FR)
The early skinny: You know you've had recruiting problems when the greybeard at a position is a third-year junior, and Dukes is basically a real athletic guard serving as a tackle...at some point, he'll probably move back inside if depth allows it...but man, has Clemson hit it big lately. All the others are physical prototype tackles, and all of them have the sort of physiques you look at and think "NFL Potential". Robinson might move back to the D-line as a DT, but he's a stud wherever. The true froshes - Lambert, Grant, and Ruffin - are all exciting. The future is REAL bright here, if they can only keep the QB upright and vertical in the present.

OFFENSIVE GUARD: (9)
Chip Myrick (RS SR), Roman Fry (RS JR), Nathan Bennett (RS JR), Tim DeBeer (RS JR), Brandon Pilgrim (RS SO), Chris Capote (RS SO), Tony Willis (RS FR), Taylor Tremel (RS FR), Thomas Austin (FR)
*The early skinny: looks like a deep, solid bunch of guys, and a whole mess of agile, strong 300+ pounders. I'd expect Roman Fry and Nathan Bennett to start, with Myrick and either Pilgrim/Capote backing those two up. Willis can play tackle but is probably better-suited for guard. Thomas Austin has a very good rep and could well be starting a couple of years. No obvious top-of-the-NFL-draft super-drive-blockers in this bunch, but quite a few with at least a chance of fighting their way into the league.

CENTER: (4)
Dustin Fry (RS JR), Clint LaTray (RS SO), Bobby Hutchinson (RS FR), Barry Humphries (FR)
The early skinny: Dustin Fry is a 315-pound tank and the strongest overall player on the team...he still struggles some in pass protection but he just destroys people in the run game. He should start. LaTray and Hutchinson have some talent but remain works-in-progress, but Barry Humphries is no-kidding dominant, a human wrecking ball, and LaTray and Hutchinson had best bring their lunch if they wanna hold him off over the long-term. Short and long term, there looks like numbers and quality here, for the first time in forever.

THE CLIFF'S NOTES VERSION: Look to be loaded at QB, and very solid at RB, OG, and C. Very young, but unholy-talented (assuming Lambert qualifies) at OT. Need definite help at wideout...keep an eye on CJ Byrd and TJ Williams in recruiting; they're the must-haves of this year and both are likely to play very soon.

I'll do the defense whenever the ambition strikes, provided the board flatters Yours Truly with sufficient thumbs-up...I do this only for the glory, folks.

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a way-too-early look at 2005 for Low Country Home Builder

Nice post, as usual...***

Good analysis. Thumbs up here.***

Re: a way-too-early look at 2005 for Low Country Home Builder

fantastic...I love me some 'cruitin' updates...thumbs up***

Excellent. I agree all the way around on your analysis.

Quozzel, you did a superb job! I look forward to the "D"***

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