College analyst sees big gap between Clemson and rest of the country

Luginbill said head coach Dabo Swinney is recruiting the best talent. (Photo per ACC)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Sep 14 08:01:03 GMT-04:00 2020

Two college football analysts who watched Clemson defeat Wake Forest Saturday night believe there is gap between the Tigers and the rest of the country. A big gap.

Barrett Sallee, who is a writer and radio personality for CBS Sports, was on the college football wrap-up show Sunday on SiriusXM with ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill and they discussed the win by the Tigers over the Demon Deacons.

Luginbill said that the game was a mismatch.

“I think it was a bit of a perfect storm, too. As much as I respect Dave Clawson and the job they’ve done there, it’s a developmental program,” Luginbill said. “When you lose a Jamie Newman and a Sage Surratt, you’re not just replacing that player with the same player. Clemson is in the mold where that is exactly what they do. You look at some of those true freshmen like Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee on the defensive front, they are the same guy that the redshirt junior is. Wake Forest doesn’t have that type of advantage. But that was no match for Clemson’s depth and Clemson’s talent.”

Luginbill said Clemson has different-level talent and a different culture.

“I just feel like this team, in Clemson, is so good at handling success and so good at dealing with what the restrictions are and what the challenges are — they just roll with the punches,” he said. “Nothing gets them off schedule. Nothing bothers them. They live by their own code and they play by their own standard. They never seem to care. They don’t care who the opponent is, because it’s not about the opponent, it’s about them. You don’t see them play to the level of the competition. All of these things that they do — combined with their skill level — is a combination that is very difficult to defeat unless you take the field with the same kind of skill level. And there’s what, one or two teams in the country like that?”

Sallee said that Clemson is a different animal.

“Going into the season, for CBS, we had to rank 130 teams and I had Ohio State at (No.) 1 and Clemson No. 2. You could pick either one because it doesn’t matter, they are head and shoulders above everyone else,” Sallee said. “But after watching what happened yesterday (Saturday), and we haven’t watched the SEC teams play yet, I would be floored if any team is close to what Clemson is right now. Right now, the gap is enormous. Could Alabama become that team? Sure. Could Florida become that team? Sure. I don’t think Georgia can, because I think Georgia is overrated.

“None of them have the quarterback, the assistant coaching like Brent Venables, and the overall team talent. I know there are talented rosters out there, but Clemson is a different animal. I have a hard time believing anybody is even remotely close to what Clemson is right now.”

Luginbill said that head coach Dabo Swinney is hoarding the talent the rest of the programs covet.

“Their depth. Their top-level skill. They have difference-maker players at the championship-level positions – offensive line, defensive line, quarterback, and defensive corner,” Luginbill said. “And when they take somebody off the field and put another guy in the rotation, there is no drop-off. That is the goal of every program and where everybody wants to get to. The problem is there are so few of those impact players at the offensive line and defensive line and quarterback to go around and fuel everybody’s program. Yet Clemson seems to be hoarding all of those guys. This is a scary team to contend with regardless of who the opponent is.”