The Avengers have this former Clemson standout very excited for the Tigers’ 2022 football season.
No, of course not the superheroes portrayed in Marvel’s film and comic book series, but rather the Clemson defensive linemen who have adopted those superhero identities heading into next season – namely guys like 2021 All-ACC selections Xavier Thomas, Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis, and fellow returning standout K.J. Henry, among others on the loaded defensive front.
On the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich this week, former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain discussed what he is most excited for as it pertains to the Tigers entering the 2022 campaign.
As you’d expect, Mac Lain mentioned Clemson’s quarterback competition between rising junior D.J. Uiagalelei and five-star freshman Cade Klubnik.
But the Tigers’ defensive line — which is calling itself The Avengers and has drawn comparisons to Clemson’s 2018 D-line that dubbed itself as the Power Rangers — has Mac Lain pumped about the potential of Dabo Swinney’s team in 2022, a team that Mac Lain believes can run the table in the ACC and get through the regular season without a loss.
“That quarterback position battle, for sure, and just seeing who can rise up from that. But then also this defensive line,” Mac Lain said of what excites him most about Clemson. “I spoke about it last year, shades of that 2018 team, and then some injuries kind of threw a curveball into that. If they can stay healthy, these guys will be the best defensive line in all of college football. And a lot of people, as myself, have compared them to that defensive line that were called the Power Rangers. They say no man, we have so much depth, we are The Avengers. And they all went out on Twitter and kind of named who they were, which I thought was super cool and just fun for fans and for people to be able to talk about. But those guys have proven it, and you have a couple of older guys in KJ Henry and Xavier Thomas that could’ve left but decided to come back – and Tyler Davis – for this final run, like a lot of those guys on that ’18 team did.
“So, I think something special is brewing there and a big reason why I believe Clemson is going to go undefeated in this regular season.”
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