Clemson is making a change at the top of the depth chart at a particular position this week. Davis Allen is in line to start at tight end against North Carolina State on Saturday, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday. Senior Braden Galloway had …
Clemson is making a change at the top of the depth chart at a particular position this week.
Davis Allen is in line to start at tight end against North Carolina State on Saturday, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday. Senior Braden Galloway had started the first three games there, but Swinney said Allen, a junior, has earned the opportunity to start based on how he’s performed so far.
Swinney said the position will continue to be evaluated weekly.
“He’s just played better,” Swinney said. “And Braden hasn’t played bad. … But (Allen) is like Shipley. He’s earned the opportunity to run out there first. After the first few games, Davis has been a little bit more complete player.”
Swinney’s comments came after Clemson listed Galloway and Allen as co-starters on its updated depth chart ahead of Saturday’s game. Known more as Clemson’s receiving tight end, Galloway had one catch for 1 yard in the Tigers’ win over Georgia Tech last week but also had a drop on another target.
At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Allen is a more physical presence as a run blocker and also has more catches (6) than Galloway (4) through the first three games. He had two for 13 yards in last week’s game.
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As fall camp is set to wrap up by week’s end, Monday provided an opportunity for Clemson’s tight ends to speak with reporters. Braden Galloway, Davis Allen and Jaelyn Lay all had their chances to speak following Monday’s practice. Up first was …
As fall camp is set to wrap up by week’s end, Monday provided an opportunity for Clemson’s tight ends to speak with reporters.
Braden Galloway, Davis Allen and Jaelyn Lay all had their chances to speak following Monday’s practice.
Up first was Galloway, who will likely split time at first-team tight end with Allen. That’s exactly the rotation that was seen during Clemson’s intrasquad scrimmage Saturday.
Now that Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott is also coaching the tight ends, it should create more opportunities for Galloway and his teammates.
They certainly will be more involved in the team’s passing game going forward and should provide a sense of relief and security for D.J. Uiagalelei under center.
“I think with Coach E obviously coming over, he’s the one who’s calling the plays, so I do think we’ll have a little more of an opportunity,” Galloway said during Monday’s media availability over Zoom, “but I think the best part of our group is that it’s a bunch of selfless guys.
“We want everyone to be successful and if that’s me making a play, Davis making a play, Jae Lay making a play. We’re just trying to do our job to the best of our ability and when other people are succeeding, we’re happy for them.”
There’s hope that the level of selflessness throughout the room will allow for the position group to succeed.
To make sure that he showed up to fall camp ready to go, Galloway took matters into his own hands this offseason, while he was away from the team.
So, he put on some muscle this offseason.
Galloway indicated that he weighed in at 247 pounds this morning.
With that, he was really just trying to get stronger overall. There was an obvious emphasis on his lower body, but overall body strength is something that he was striving for during the offseason.
Speaking of working on his game, Elliott mentioned earlier this summer that he wanted Galloway to become a more consistent presence in Clemson’s run-blocking scheme.
Galloway was asked how he thinks he’s developed that aspect of his game during fall camp.
“I’m definitely growing,” he said. “That’s definitely still the weakness in my game and I’m not naive enough to think that it’s not. I’m attacking it every day, trying to get better at it…because it doesn’t really matter how strong you are, if your technique’s terrible, you’re not gonna be able to move anybody or get your job done.”
Going up against Brent Venables’s defense every day in practice will surely help not only Galloway become a better overall tight end, but it’ll certainly help the offense in the long run.
Iron sharpens iron.
Clemson’s offense has been mitigated by a strong effort from the defensive unit. That was on display during Saturday’s scrimmage as the offense was stifled for much of the afternoon, while not being able to overcome self-inflicted mistakes.
As far as evaluating the offense is concerned, Galloway thinks it is more so about the individual and not the entire offense as a whole.
It goes without saying that all 11 guys have to be on the same page, but one unit is working on installation while the other is scheming against the particular offense that they’re shown.
“I think you see the maturity in camp, but I think going against our defense is what makes us one of the best offenses in the country every year,” Galloway said. “It’s very rare that you get to practice against what we get to practice against.”
Galloway said there is a level of frustration that comes with a lack of offensive success, but he believes that it will lead to results, especially for himself, whenever the season comes.
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Few programs in the country practice against a defense of Clemson’s caliber in practice every day. In the first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday the defense held the upper hand on the offense. But tight end Braden Galloway did not seem worried …
Few programs in the country practice against a defense of Clemson’s caliber in practice every day.
In the first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday the defense held the upper hand on the offense. But tight end Braden Galloway did not seem worried after Monday’s practice at Jervey Meadows.
Galloway raved about the Tigers’ defense and how thankful he is to practice against one of the best defenses in the country every day.
“I think you see the maturity and growth through camp but I think going against our defense is what makes us one of the best offenses in the country year after year,” Galloway said. “It’s very rare that you get to practice against what we get to practice against.”
This season the tight ends look poised to take on a larger role in the Clemson offense with a wealth of experience and talent in the room from Galloway to Davis Allen and young players like Jaelyn Lay.
The senior hauled in 27 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns last year in 12 starts.
As Galloway enters the season he knows the advantage of facing stiff competition in practice which he feels gives the Tigers an extra boost in preparation ahead of the highly anticipated season opener against Georgia.
“So when they bring crazy blitzes, crazy coverages and formations and stuff like that, you get to the first game and it’s not going to be anything we haven’t seen,” Galloway said. “They give us pretty much anything that any team can run in 15 games or the course of the season and they give it to us through two and a half weeks of camp. From that perspective I think that’s how you have to look at it.”
Galloway even went as far to compare the depth of Clemson’s defensive line to one of the best in program history in 2018 that featured the “Power Rangers” with Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell.
“I honestly think we had a great defense last year and in 2019 but I understand what you are saying. We’ve had seven or eight guys that have started on the defensive line,” he said. “They are a very veteran group, they bring it everyday and obviously we go against them every day and they are making us better.”
“There are a lot of similarities on the defensive line between this team and the 2018 team just as far as the veteran guys a D-End, they are super talented at tackle and they are super talented so I think that’s the biggest similar characteristic,” Galloway said.
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There’s not a lot of mystery as to what the top of the depth chart at tight end is going to look like for Clemson come the start of the season. Still, it’s a position for the Tigers that’s long on options and short on egos. “I think the best thing …
There’s not a lot of mystery as to what the top of the depth chart at tight end is going to look like for Clemson come the start of the season.
Still, it’s a position for the Tigers that’s long on options and short on egos.
“I think the best thing about our group is that it’s a bunch of selfless guys,” senior Braden Galloway said. “We want everybody to be successful.”
Galloway is back as the No. 1 option after starting all 12 games last season and finishing with the fourth-most receptions (27) on the team. In an effort to become a more complete tight end, Galloway said he focused on his lower body in the offseason so that he can be more effective help in the running game and is up to 247 pounds from the 240 he played at last season, but Galloway acknowledged his blocking is still a weakness that he’s constantly working to improve.
That’s where Davis Allen comes in. What Galloway may lack in sheer physicality and technique as a blocker, Allen can help with at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, though Allen isn’t exactly a one-trick pony heading into his junior season.
He caught 16 passes as a sophomore with four of those going for touchdowns, second-most on the team. Allen split first-team reps with Galloway during Clemson’s first scrimmage of camp over the weekend, Galloway said, which would seem to indicate an even bigger offensive role for Allen could be looming.
There’s also Jaelyn Lay, Jake Briningstool and Luke Price.
The most physically imposing of the group, Lay hasn’t always played with the physicality one would expect from a 6-6, 270-pounder, something Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said he’s pleaded with Lae to embrace, particularly when it comes to blocking. Lay has responded by working on that aspect of his game, though he said improving as a blocker has more to do with technique than strength for him.
“It’s a lot of aspects whether it’s footwork technique, your hands, how you shoot your hands, your steps. You can overstride,” Lay said. “I’ve improved, but I can always get better because I see myself always tending to overstride.”
Lay has also used his long reach to make some impressive catches during camp. Briningstool, another tall target at 6-6, is going through his first collegiate practices as a true freshman while Price may be the most easily forgotten among the group.
A fifth-year senior, Price moved to tight end following the 2018 season after beginning his college career as a linebacker. But Price has only played one season at his new position after a knee injury cost him all of last season.
Price caught just four passes in 2019 and doesn’t have the prototypical body type for the position at 6-2 and 235 pounds, but offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said Price is fundamentally sound enough to have some sort of role for the Tigers this fall.
“The crazy thing is I’ve even pointed out some pictures in the passing game of what I want it to look like using Luke as the example,” Elliott said. “He’s in good shape, and he’s going to help us.”
Allen and Lay both said they haven’t noticed much of a dropoff from one tight end to another during practice. Clemson will get a better gauge of that once the games start Sept. 4 with a marquee opener against Georgia, but the group expects to be productive regardless of who’s getting the credit.
“Obviously I’m not in other position rooms, but everybody wants everybody to be happy and be successful and to make plays,” Galloways said, referencing the tight end room. “I’m happy when Davis makes a play. I’m happy when Jae-Lay gets out there and makes a play. And I think if we continue to do that, everything else will take care of itself.”
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Davis Allen isn’t overthinking it heading into his third season in Clemson’s football program. The first two have been more about getting his feet wet. The Tigers’ junior tight end has just 21 career receptions so far, but Allen could be in line for …
Davis Allen isn’t overthinking it heading into his third season in Clemson’s football program.
The first two have been more about getting his feet wet. The Tigers’ junior tight end has just 21 career receptions so far, but Allen could be in line for his largest role yet this fall. Senior Braden Galloway is back after starting all 12 games at the position last season, but Allen has also been getting reps with the ones during fall camp.
Galloway said he and Allen split the first-team reps during Clemson’s first scrimmage over the weekend. One of the bigger tight ends on the roster at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Allen has a physical presence about him that’s often utilized as a run blocker.
But whether it be blocking, catching passes or even contributing on special teams, Allen said the role he envisions for himself this season is simple.
“Wherever I can help, that’s what I think my role is going to be,” Allen said.
Galloway was the Tigers’ primary pass-catcher at the position last season — his 27 receptions were fourth on the team — but Allen also had his most significant contribution in that department. After making just five catches as a true freshman, Allen more than tripled that with 16 receptions last season, including his first four career touchdowns snags — second-most on the team.
That, of course, came amid a season affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Allen said frequently meeting up for quarantine throwing sessions with then-Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who lived nearby, helped improve his confidence in that facet of his game leading up to the season. That and learning from Galloway and others that are also in the tight end room with him.
“Braden is a great route runner, and Jae(lyn) Lay, too,” Allen said. “I’m really just learning from them and trying to take away anything I can from them to help.”
Allen said he’s gotten even more help this offseason when it comes to understanding routes and concepts in the passing game from offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, who now coaches tight ends after previously coaching running backs. It should only help as he continues to evolve into a tight end that can do a little bit of everything for the Tigers.
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For the longest time at Clemson, the standard for playing the tight end position was Bennie Cunningham. There is a strong argument he still is the standard, despite the big numbers Dwayne Allen and Jordan Leggett both put up in the last decade. From …
For the longest time at Clemson, the standard for playing the tight end position was Bennie Cunningham. There is a strong argument he still is the standard, despite the big numbers Dwayne Allen and Jordan Leggett both put up in the last decade.
From 1973-’75, the late Bennie Cunningham caught 64 passes for 1,044 yards and scored eight touchdowns on his way to being named the first two-time First-Team All-American and the first Consensus All-American in Clemson history.
Cunningham was ahead of his time.
At 6-foot-5, 250-pounds, the Seneca, S.C., native could do it all – block, catch and run. Also, he did it in an era when running the football was the primary mode of operation in college football. In those days, Clemson ran a split-veer triple-option offense.
From 1973-’75, the late Bennie Cunningham caught 64 passes for 1,044 yards and scored eight touchdowns on his way to being named the first two-time First-Team All-American and the first Consensus All-American in Clemson history. (file photo)
Even though Cunningham played on Clemson teams that were not always good, he was. He led the Tigers in receptions in 1973 and ’74 and in both catches and yards in 1974, his first All-American season. He had another All-American season in 1975 and was later picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 28th overall pick in the 1976 NFL Draft – still the only tight end in Clemson history to be taken in the first round of an NFL Draft.
But could that change in the years to come?
No disrespect to guys like Michael Palmer, Dwayne Allen and Jordan Leggett, but Clemson appears to have maybe its greatest collection of tight ends at one time.
Led by another Seneca product in Braden Galloway, the Tigers are potentially as talented at the tight end position as they ever have been. Behind Galloway is Davis Allen, Jaelyn Lay, Sage Ennis and Jake Briningstool.
Do any of those five have the talent and skill to be the next Cunningham? Maybe so. Maybe not. Time will tell.
However, there have been glimpses that show, at the very least, Clemson potentially has another Dwayne Allen and Jordan Leggett on the team.
Galloway (6-4, 240) is a quick-twitch, very fluid receiver. A former basketball player, he is athletic and fast and uses that to his advantage in the passing game, similar to Leggett (2013-’16), who holds the tight end records for career catches, yards and touchdowns at Clemson, as well as single-season marks in yards. He also tied Dwayne Allen’s record for touchdowns in a single season by a tight end.
From 2013-’16, Jordan Leggett set Clemson records for a tight end with 112 catches for 1,598 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also holds the single-season mark for yards (736), which he set in 2016. (file photo)
“In fairness to (Galloway), and he said it, he did not start playing football until his sophomore year (of high school),” Clemson tight ends coach and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “He played wideout, he played quarterback and so a lot of the stuff he is doing, even from a receiver perspective is still some new stuff to him. But he is very fluid and can run.
“I would say he is probably as fast, if not faster than Leggett. But he is not quite as tall and as big.”
Still, in just his second full season, Galloway caught 27 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns. That was ahead of Leggett’s mark in his second season when he hauled in 14 passes back in 2014 for 161 yards and one touchdown.
Davis Allen is very similar in stature, size and technique as Dwayne Allen (2009-’11). The junior stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 250 pounds.
Like Dwayne Allen, who was a Consensus First-Team All-American and Mackey Award winner in 2011, did in his second season at Clemson, Davis Allen showed tremendous development as a pass catcher. He went from five catches for 53 yards and no touchdowns as a freshman, to 16 catches for 247 yards and four touchdowns in 2020.
“He is the standard of what you are looking for at the point of attack, from a tight end perspective,” Elliot said about Davis Allen. “He is very versatile. He can play the H or play what you call the Y, the attached guy, and be very productive. You can isolate him one-on-one with defensive ends and he is going to hold his own.
“I think if we can get him up to speed on where he needs to be from a receiver standpoint, because you have to look at him. He played defensive end (in high school). He was in a run-oriented tight end kind of position in high school, so I think that the potential to be like a Dwayne Allen is there. We just got to develop him a little bit more.”
And who knows. Maybe one of them will become the next Bennie Cunningham. Of course, being the next Dwayne Allen or Jordan Leggett is not too shabby, either.
Dwayne Allen finished his Clemson career as the Tigers’ all-time leader for a tight end in receptions (93), yards (1,079) and touchdowns (12). He still holds the single-season mark for catches (50 in 2011) and touchdowns (8 in 2011). Allen was a Consensus First-Team All-American in 2011 and won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end. (file photo)
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An ACC Network college football analyst named named two Tigers to his top 5 for the 2021 season. Former Clemson offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain released his top 5 ACC tight ends going into the fall via Twitter on Thursday. Included in his preseason …
An ACC Network college football analyst named named two Tigers to his top 5 for the 2021 season.
Former Clemson offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain released his top 5 ACC tight ends going into the fall via Twitter on Thursday. Included in his preseason rankings were two Clemson veterans Davis Allen at No. 2 and Braden Galloway in the fifth slot.
In his first two seasons as a Tiger, Allen recorded 21 career catches for 300 yards and four touchdowns over 27 games with one start.
Galloway enters his senior campaign with 34 catches for 481 yards and three touchdowns over 26 games, starting 12 of those games for the Tigers.
Some of the most versatile athletes on the field. Here are my top 5 #ACC TEs going into the 2021 season! pic.twitter.com/gNXxxXJosI
A breakdown of each position for Notre Dame and Clemson and who has the advantage.
This is the game of the year in the ACC, if not all college football, at least in the regular season. No. 1 Clemson travels to South Bend to take on No. 4 Notre Dame. This highly anticipated game will feature a number of future NFL stars.
A look at each position and which team has the advantage in Saturday’s huge contest.
