Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program have had some of the best defenses in college football history in his tenure as the Tigers’ head coach.
Heading into the 2022 college football season, while there are many questions about how the Clemson offense will look, fans already know what to expect out of this defense. Though Brent Venables has moved on to Oklahoma, newly appointed defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin has more than enough talent in this defense to keep the unit one of the best in the nation.
For the defense, it all starts with the front seven. Of all the college football programs across the country, according to CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee, Clemson is the front seven in college football.
Here’s what Sallee had to say about the Tigers front seven:
1. Clemson Tigers
If coach Dabo Swinney’s crew is going to get back to the top of the college football world this year, it’ll be on the heels of one of the best defenses — personnel-wise — that he’s ever produced. Superstar Bryan Bresee will anchor the middle of the line of scrimmage and, when healthy, is the top defensive lineman in the country. Add Xavier Thomas and K.J. Henry at edge, and the line should be devastating. The linebacking corps will be led by Trenton Simpson, who had 64 tackles, 12.5 which were for a loss, last season. The only real question here is if the success former defensive coordinator Brent Venables had during his tenure in the upstate can be replicated by new defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin.
Sallee has some solid points but left out some pieces that make this front seven look even more dangerous.
First and foremost, Myles Murphy is arguably the best player on this defense, so it was a little shocking to see the star edge rushers’ name left out of Sallee’s comments. He is a projected top fifteen pick in the 2023 NFL draft right now and will contend with Bresee to be the first Tiger off the board.
Another key piece of this front seven he didn’t mention is the big guy in the middle, Tyler Davis. A player with an incredibly high ceiling, Davis will be looking to prove a lot to NFL scouts this season.
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