Clemson’s coaching staff will soon get a much more accurate assessment of where the Tigers stand on both sides of the ball.
Through three practices, which have essentially been an acclimatization period for players before jumping into the grind of fall camp, the emphasis has been on installation. Players have only sported what head coach Dabo Swinney referred to as “vests” — shorts and light padding — so far.
Swinney said it’s too early to gauge which side of the ball has performed better.
“When you’re in shorts, it’s just really hard to see a lot of stuff up front (along the offensive and defensive lines) because you just really can’t have the type of collisions that you do when you’ve got pads on,” Swinney said following Monday’s practice. “But as far as getting our stuff in, I’m pleased with that.
“It’s been a lot about installation. It’s been a lot about building our team. It’s about getting to back to some fundamentals, basics and making sure we’ve got a good foundation from an individual position standpoint and figuring some of these people out. But we’re in a good spot. I don’t think anybody’s ahead. I just think we’re kind of right on track with our plan to get them ready.”
One thing the light start to camp hasn’t kept Swinney and his staff from doing is getting sophomore quarterback D.j. Uiagalelei prepared for his first season as a full-time starter. Clemson returns all 11 starters on defense as well as seven defensive linemen who’ve started a game, so getting a variety of looks from his own defense every practice, Swinney said, gives the youngster an idea of what he’s going to see from opposing teams this season.
“All I’ve got to do is put O versus D, and that’s trying to rattle him,” Swinney said. “We’ve got about 10 (different) fronts and about 30 blitzes in.”
Clemson will start ratcheting up the physicality Tuesday when the Tigers transition into shells (helmets and shoulder pads). Full-padded practices will soon follow as the Tigers continue to work toward their marquee season opener against Georgia on Sept. 4.
Swinney said he’s liked his team’s focus so far in camp.
“I told them that it’s very business-like out here,” he said. “So off to a good start.”
Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!