During ESPN’s College GameDay show this past weekend, Kirk Herbstreit weighed in on Clemson heading into the 2022 season.
The ESPN college football analyst talked about the coordinator changes on Dabo Swinney’s staff, with Swinney promoting Brandon Streeter and Wes Goodwin to the offensive and defensive coordinator roles that were vacated by the departures of Tony Elliott and Brent Venables, respectively.
“They got a little bit of a dress rehearsal in that bowl game, the Cheez-It Bowl against Iowa State. I think that’s a legitimate concern until you see it,” Herbstreit said.
“I think Dabo’s beyond confident in what they can do on both sides of the ball, and they have history. Remember when Chad Morris was there and he left to become a head coach, Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott emerged together to become co-offensive coordinators. Jeff Scott eventually went on, Tony Elliott was there by himself. Now Brandon Streeter, who’s been underneath as just a quarterback coach all this time, has had a chance to learn from all of them. So, he’s in position, and they’ve done the right things to give him his opportunity to become the guy.”
Herbstreit also discussed DJ Uiagalelei, who began preseason camp roughly 30 pounds lighter than the 260 pounds he played at a season ago.
Herbstreit says that while it’s great that Uiagalelei dropped weight, the junior quarterback must be willing to use his legs in the run game to help open up the Tigers’ offense.
“I think everybody’s said it, and until we see it, it’s reality. It’s one thing for DJ Uiagalelei to lose the weight. For me, it’s a willingness to run the ball,” Herbstreit said.
“Because whether it’s Trevor Lawrence or Deshaun Watson, especially Tajh Boyd, in that offense, the quarterback has to be a run threat, and last year, I saw a hesitant quarterback instead of being decisive in either getting the ball out and throwing or running and taking off. So, it’s great that he lost weight, but where is his mind, and is he ready to be more aggressive in running the ball, which will open up those throwing lanes to those talented receivers.”
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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