Clemson’s offensive line performance in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Friday left much to be desired, but despite the unit’s struggles, head coach Dabo Swinney remained optimistic about the future.
Speaking to the media after the Tigers’ 38-35 victory over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl, head coach Dabo Swinney briefly touched on the offensive line’s performance and outlook.
“We’ll have seven starters coming back, and we’re excited about that,” Swinney said. “We’re excited about what we got. I’m sure not all of those sacks were on the OL. It’s easy, and that’s kind of the first thing everybody does, but we’ll watch the tape and assess it. There’s probably one or two that Cade might’ve taken. I don’t know, we’ll see when we watch the tape. There’s a lot of things that go into it, but I’m really excited about the group that’s coming back.”
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik was sacked eight times against the Wildcats on Friday after only being sacked 20 times throughout the regular season.
Despite consistently being under duress and hit, Klubnik said after the game that he felt like he “had all day back there today.”
Nonetheless, Swinney added in his post-game press conference that Clemson’s offensive line has to “get better,” and the Tigers need to “establish our depth.”
Swinney’s confidence in next year’s line stems from two factors, the first of which is the returning players on the roster.
In 2024, Clemson will have Marcus Tate, Walker Parks, Blake Miller, Collin Sadler, Tristan Leigh, Harris Sewell and Trent Howard, all of whom started in at least one game this season. The only starter who the Tigers are losing is center Will Putnam, who is out of eligibility. Clemson also lost guard Mitchell Mayes to the transfer portal earlier this month.
The second reason Swinney has confidence in the unit is the hiring of Matt Luke as the new offensive line coach.
Luke coached in Friday’s game against Kentucky, and although his group didn’t perform exceptionally well, he is expected to elevate and develop the blockers up front, as well as have more success on the recruiting trail than his predecessor, Thomas Austin.