‘Big evaluation week’ as decisions loom on Clemson’s offensive line

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and his staff have been looking for what they consider the Tigers’ best five along the offensive line since the spring. Almost two full weeks into preseason camp, the search continues. But evaluations will have to be …

But evaluations will have to be replaced with decisions in the near future. With Clemson’s first preseason scrimmage in the books and the second and final one looming later this week, offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter provided a timetable as to when the Tigers need to settle on the best starting combination up front with their Labor Day opener against Georgia Tech less than three weeks away.

“I think this week is a big evaluation week for us,” Streeter said. “We have another scrimmage on Wednesday, so being able to get more than one evaluation is critical. We’d like to get that first unit ready to go when we come back next week when we get started and start really, really ramping up game planning and ramping up just getting ready for that first game.”

Barring any major injuries between now and the first Monday in September, the majority of the unit is set. Senior Will Putnam is taking over as the starting center after moving over from guard in the spring while Marcus Tate remains the favorite to join veteran tackle Jordan McFadden on the left side of the line.

Walker Parks is also going on his second season as a full-time starter. The most pressing questions are will the junior stay at right tackle or move inside to guard? And, based on that answer, who will be lining up beside him?

True freshman Blake Miller continues to make a push for the starting job at right tackle, a new development revealed last week when Parks said he had started cross-training at both positions. Streeter said Miller has been getting first-team reps the last two practices, which includes the scrimmage over the weekend.

“Blake has done a great job,” Streeter said. “He’s really a smart kid. He understands the big picture for being such a young guy. It’s been special to watch him work. He doesn’t say a whole lot. He’s just goes out there and gets it done. It’s really neat to watch him, and boy is he tough.

“He’s on that track to get those first-team reps.”

If that happens, Parks would slide over to guard, a position the 6-foot-5, 315-pounder has yet to rep at in a game during his time at Clemson. Streeter said Parks is still learning the nuances of the position but that he has picked things up quickly from a mental standpoint.

“He’s done really good the last couple of days,” Streeter said. “And it turns into a valuable situation where he loves playing guard but he’s played a ton at tackle, too. So we’ve got an opportunity of him to potentially play both.”

If Clemson ultimately thinks keeping Parks on the edge is the best move, that would leave Bryn Tucker, Mitchell Mayes and Dietrick Pennington among others duking it out for the starting spot at right guard since Miller is strictly a tackle for the time being. Those decisions are coming sooner rather than later.

“Next week, we need to start really honing down on what that lineup is going to look like with those best five,” Streeter said.

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Starting offensive lineman preparing to play inside or out

Walker Parks enters his junior season as half of arguably the ACC’s top tackle tandem with Jordan McFadden, having started all 13 games at right tackle for Clemson last season and logging all 1,068 of his career snaps on the edge to this point. That …

That could change this fall.

Parks has been cross-training at guard during preseason camp, a development he said initially came about at the suggestion of first-year offensive line coach Thomas Austin. Parks said he dabbled at guard in the spring but has started to split his reps more heavily over the last couple of practices.

Thursday’s full-padded practice wasn’t open to the media for viewing, but Parks said he repped almost exclusively at right guard.

“I’m not opposed to anything,” Parks said. “I’ll play right or left. Tackle or guard. Center. I’ll play whatever they need. (The coaches) brought it up, so I said, ‘Yeah I’m game.’ So just cross-training a little bit in case something happens or I might go out there first. We’ll see who that best five is.”

The right guard spot became vacant at the start of the spring when senior Will Putnam slid over to center. Bryn Tucker was getting a majority of the first-team reps early in camp. Mitchell Mayes is also working there, though the junior was spotted early in camp with a brace on his left arm.

Trent Howard is also capable of lining up at guard, but Parks is now in the mix. After playing around 300 pounds last season, Parks weighed in last week at 314 pounds. It’s an addition Park said he needs in case he finds himself lining up on the interior in games.

“Definitely happy with it,” Parks said. “If I move inside and play a little bit of right guard, I’ve got my weight up.”

When Parks takes practice reps on the inside, true freshman Blake Miller has been stepping in to get the first-team reps at right tackle. The objective for the Tigers’ coaching staff is to evaluate the group and piece together what it believes are the best starting five for Clemson’s Labor Day opener against Georgia Tech.

For Parks, that could apparently be inside or out.

“Day 1, I might go out there at guard or might go out there at tackle,” Parks said. “We’ll just see how it shakes out.”

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Frontrunners emerge in competition for starting job along offensive line

The most pressing questions for Clemson’s offensive line continue to be on the interior, specifically at the guard spots. Senior Jordan McFadden and junior Walker Parks are entrenched as one of the ACC’s top tackle tandems while Clemson coach Dabo …

The most pressing questions for Clemson’s offensive line continue to be on the interior, specifically at the guard spots.

Senior Jordan McFadden and junior Walker Parks are entrenched as one of the ACC’s top tackle tandems while Clemson coach Dabo Swinney recently made it clear that Will Putnam will take over at center after the Tigers didn’t add any transfer linemen during the offseason. Marcus Tate, who started a handful of games last year as a true freshman, is the prohibitive favorite to hold on to his starting job at left guard after taking what coaches called a positive step in his development this spring.

That leaves right guard as the one with the most uncertainty up front, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering it’s the position where Putnam started the last two years before making the move to center in the spring. But first-year offensive line coach Thomas Austin revealed there are two players with a leg up on the rest of the competition there heading into fall camp, which starts Friday for Clemson.

“Right now, we have Bryn (Tucker) and Mitchell (Mayes) both slotted as starters,” Austin said of the right guard spot. “So at our first practice, if Mitchell is the first guy and Bryn is the second, then the next period, one of them is going to take the ones reps and one take the twos. And they’ll alternate every single time.”

Mayes has played 12 games his first two seasons at Clemson as a backup lineman, mostly at tackle. But the 6-foot-3, 310-pounder slid inside almost exclusively during the spring to help with the depth at guard and has taken advantage of his newfound opportunity.

“(Mayes) has worked really hard, but he’s also been kind of a putty guy,” Austin said. “He’s played tackle and guard, but we tried to leave him at guard as much as we could for the spring to give him a fair shot and to see how he feels.”

While Mayes’ game reps have been limited so far, he’s a veteran compared to Tucker despite both players entering their third year in the program. Tucker has logged just 79 snaps over nine games at Clemson heading into his redshirt sophomore season, but the Knoxville, Tennessee, native has developed physically to the point he now checks in at 6-3 and 320 pounds.

Yet Austin said it’s the strides Tucker has made mentally during his time with the Tigers that primarily has him closer to the top of the depth chart.

“Tucker has physical tools,” Austin said. “He’s a big, strong guy who can move people. For him, it’s understanding the offense and the finer details of it. I think, from a mental standpoint, he’s kind of taken that next step, which has really helped him.”

John Williams, Trent Howard and redshirt freshman Dietrick Pennington will join them in the competition over the next month. Starting with Mayes and Tucker, Austin said all of their performances will be evaluated on a daily basis before deciding who runs out first at the position in the Tigers’ Labor Day opener against Georgia Tech.

“Every day, the guy that graded out better will be the first guy out there,” Austin said. “We do want it to mean something for that guy to be the first guy in the flex lines and the first guy in practice. Really when you get into your scrimmage situations, sometimes guys separate themselves even more because (the coaches) are off the field, it’s not as controlled of an environment, you let them play and see who can kind of distance themselves a little bit.”

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Swinney makes strong statement about development of offensive line

The offensive line wasn’t the most stable position for Clemson a season ago, and there are still some lingering uncertainty about the group coming out of the spring. But after watching the unit as a whole over the Tigers’ 15 spring practices, …

The offensive line wasn’t the most stable position for Clemson a season ago, and there are still some lingering uncertainty about the group coming out of the spring.

But after watching the unit as a whole over the Tigers’ 15 spring practices, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said recently that he feels good about the development of the line. To the point that he has reached a different level of conviction about the short-term and long-term futures of the position with the personnel in place.

“We love the kids that we have,” Swinney said. “All 14 of the guys that we have on scholarship have the ability to be a starter for us or very significant contributors. I haven’t always been able to say that, but I’m very, very encouraged about the personnel that we have there.”

Clemson is set on the edges with veteran left tackle Jordan McFadden and rising junior Walker Parks on the right side, but the interior is where things are still in some limbo along a line that had eight different starting combinations a season ago. The Tigers have had more attrition than they expected at center, so Will Putnam moved over to rep there this spring and, as of now, would likely be the starter if Clemson had to play a game this week.

Clemson is also in the market for a transfer interior lineman if the fit is right, though Swinney has cooled on just how much of a necessity he initially thought that would be for his team given what transpired this spring. With Putnam specifically, grabbing a plug-and-play center would allow him to move back to right guard, where he’s started the last two seasons. But Swinney said he feels better about keeping Putnam at center if necessary after watching the rising senior make a largely smooth transition.

“It was rare that we had a bad snap,” Swinney said. “It was about one a day, and you’re talking about a guy that’s never snapped. It’s not like he snapped in high school. He’s never snapped.”

McFadden will exhaust his eligibility after next season. Putnam and Parks (draft-eligible next year) could also move on, potentially leaving more questions for the unit in 2023. But Swinney said he was equally as impressed with what he saw from the Tigers’ younger linemen this spring, particularly the third-year players – Mitchell Mayes, Trent Howard, Bryn Tucker and John Williams – that “all made a move,” he said.

That group competed at right guard in case Putnam remains at center while true sophomore Marcus Tate remains at the top of the depth chart at left guard for now, though he could move to tackle, where he’s been cross-training, in the future. Swinney is also high on true freshmen Blake Miller and Collin Sadler as well as redshirt freshmen Ryan Linthicum, Tristan Leigh and Dietrick Pennington, whom Swinney said might have started as a first-year player last season if not for an injury that sidelined the Memphis native.

Linthicum and Leigh, the top-ranked signee in Clemson’s 2021 recruiting class who could be McFadden’s successor next year, were among the players that showed the most improvement this spring, Swinney said. It’s all given Swinney a different level of confidence in the linemen already on the roster.

“If I felt like the kids we had, we missed on some of them, it would be different. But we haven’t missed on any of those guys,” Swinney said. “Every single guy that we’ve signed — all 14 guys that we have on scholarship — they’re all at different stages. But unless they get hurt, they’re going to be starters for us or really significant contributors. And that is a really good spot to be in in that offensive line.”

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Six compelling storylines for Clemson football in 2022

Clemson put a bow on the 2021 season with its Cheez-It Bowl win over Iowa State on Wednesday, which means the Tigers’ offseason is already a few days old. Players will take a couple of weeks off before starting winter workouts in mid-January, but …

Clemson put a bow on the 2021 season with its Cheez-It Bowl win over Iowa State on Wednesday, which means the Tigers’ offseason is already a few days old.

Players will take a couple of weeks off before starting winter workouts in mid-January, but the work for next season has already started for Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff. There’s plenty to do before and after spring practice starts in a couple of months.

Here are six compelling storylines for Clemson’s football program entering the new year:

How will the Tigers finish their 2022 recruiting class?

Clemson officially started working on its incoming crop of recruits last month when it signed 12 players during college football’s early signing period, but the Tigers aren’t done.

There are still some positional needs the Tigers have to address during the traditional signing period in February, including running back (they’ve yet to sign any), linebacker (they’ve signed one, but would like to add another ), defensive back (a position that needs depth) and perhaps even quarterback, where there just isn’t a whole lot of game experience behind D.J. Uiagalelei now that Taisun Phommachanh has decided to transfer.

Of course, Clemson could also choose to dip into the transfer portal. Speaking of…

Will Clemson sign any transfers?

Swinney’s preference to recruit high school players and develop them over signing transfers has been well-documented, but might this be the year Clemson finally supplements its roster with players that began their careers at other schools?

With most high school prospects already off the market, it’s certainly possible. And if the Tigers were to miss on some of their top remaining prep targets – someone like, say, Jennings (Louisiana) four-star running back Trevor Etienne – they might not have a choice. Clemson has been active with its interest in the portal, reaching out to a couple of interior offensive linemen already. It’s also the prime location for Clemson to find a more seasoned quarterback if it wants, though the Tigers already have four scholarship quarterbacks in their plans for next season.

How many transfers will Clemson end up losing?

The Tigers have already had nine players elect to transfer since the start of the season, and, so far, that number has stood firm. Clemson hasn’t had any players enter the portal since the bowl game ended.

All but one of those players (receiver Frank Ladson) were backups or reserves. Still, the departures have delivered hits to the Tigers’ depth at running back, quarterback, linebacker, safety and along the offensive line, which is part of the reason why Clemson is still searching for more players at those positions.

One thing to remember: The NCAA is allowing teams to sign up to seven players beyond the usual 25-man signing limit during this recruiting cycle to replace outgoing transfers, though it’s highly unlikely Clemson will use 32 scholarships in this recruiting class.

Who will replace the veterans?

As hard as it is to believe, guys like James Skalski, Nolan Turner, Matt Bockhorst and Baylon Spector have played their last games in a Clemson uniform. The Tigers finally have to plan for life without some of the most accomplished players on their roster.

Skalski and Turner were both six-year seniors on this year’s defense. Skalski was not only a leader but widely considered the heart and soul of the defense from his middle linebacker spot, playing a whopping 69 games in his Clemson career and leading the Tigers in tackles the last two seasons.

Turner played in more than 60 at safety while Bockhorst and Spector, both fifth-year players, combined for 100 career appearances. That’s a ton of experience on the way out the door, and that doesn’t include starting corners Andrew Booth Jr. and Mario Goodrich, who are both headed to the NFL.

Clemson isn’t completely green behind all of them. LaVonta Bentley is the favorite to take over for Spector at weak-side ‘backer after filling in for him twice this season, though there are fewer known commodities at middle linebacker. Jalyn Phillips, R.J. Mickens and Tyler Venables rotated in at safety and even got some starts there this season while Mason Trotter, Hunter Rayburn, Marcus Tate and Bryn Tucker got reps on the interior of the offensive line.

But there could be some outside competition that joins the fold by the time spring practice rolls around.

Will D.J. Uiagalelei remain the starting quarterback?

Of course, the position under the biggest microscope this offseason will be quarterback, where D.J. Uiagalelei was serviceable but not much more than that in his first season as a full-time starter.

To be fair, the step back taken by the offense wasn’t all on Uiagalelei, who didn’t have as much quality help around him with attrition along the offensive line and at receiver taking its toll on the Tigers throughout the season. But the big-armed quarterback struggled with his touch and accuracy from the start, finishing with the second-lowest completion rate among starting ACC signal callers with as many interceptions as touchdown passes (9) for an offense that scored 17 fewer points on average than it did a season ago.

Uiagalelei was benched early in the second half of Clemson’s loss at Pittsburgh in late October after throwing a pair of interceptions in that game, though he sat for less than a quarter before coming back in. He finished the season as the starter, fighting through knee and finger injuries to do so.

But the Tigers need more from the position if they’re serious about becoming a playoff contender again. A true sophomore, Uiagalelei still has just 15 career starts to his name and time to develop, but Clemson is bringing in the nation’s top prep signal caller, Cade Klubnik, as his primary competition this spring.

Can Clemson get back to the College Football Playoff?

The Tigers’ most disappointing season in nearly a decade still ended with them notching double-digit wins, but Clemson is used to playing for championships. That didn’t happen this season.

Not only were the Tigers not part of the CFP, but they didn’t play for an ACC championship either after finishing runner-up in the Atlantic Division. Of course, winning the conference was a prerequisite for Clemson to advance to the playoff each of the previous six seasons. The Tigers were the conference’s champion during all of those.

As previously mentioned, there are plenty of questions that Swinney and his reshuffled staff have to get answered between now and next season. But Clemson has recruited at a high enough level that there’s still plenty of talent on the roster.

Whether or not the Tigers can put all of the pieces, new and old, together enough to retake their spot among the sport’s elite remains to be seen.

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Taking inventory: Guard

Clemson still has a bowl game left to play this season, but it’s never too early to look ahead. With the regular season in the books, TCI is taking some time to analyze how the Tigers performed at each position this fall and where the Tigers stand …

Clemson still has a bowl game left to play this season, but it’s never too early to look ahead.

With the regular season in the books, TCI is taking some time to analyze how the Tigers performed at each position this fall and where the Tigers stand with each as the offseason quickly approaches. Quarterback, running back, tight end, receiver and center have already been assessed.

Next up is the guard position along the offensive line.

A quick note first: This is where things currently stand with Clemson’s personnel at guard. With the one-time transfer rule and recruiting still in full effect, things are always subject to change. This story will be updated as needed to reflect any future modifications at the position.

2021 in review

Clemson started seven different combinations along the offensive line during the regular season. Constant fluidity at the guard spots played a role in that.

The Tigers returned both starters there in senior Matt Bockhorst and junior Will Putnam, but once Clemson decided to move Bockhorst from left guard to center before the season opener against Georgia, the shuffling started. Sophomore Paul Tchio and true freshman Marcus Tate were the primary options left at that spot, and Tate ultimately won the job going into the season.

Tate started the first three games, but Clemson went with Tchio there in the fourth game against North Carolina State. Tate was reinserted into the starting lineup the following week, but with a lack of push on the interior combined with frequent blown blocking assignments, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell reassessed things midway through the season.

Ultimately, the Tigers decided to move Bockhorst back to his more natural position and insert Hunter Rayburn (and eventually Mason Trotter) at center. But Bockhorst’s time back at left guard lasted just two games once he tore his ACL against Pittsburgh. Tchio entered the transfer portal late in the season, so Clemson turned back to Tate at that spot.

Meanwhile, foot and ankle injuries cost Putnam three games, including a pair in November. That forced Trotter to fill in at right guard against Louisville and Connecticut. Putnam returned to the starting lineup for the final two games of the regular season, and Clemson decided to go with more experience at the other guard spot once that happened by moving Rayburn to right guard and Trotter back to center.

The results up front were better in the back half of the regular season. The Tigers averaged 208 rushing yards over the final five games (up from 145.1 through the first seven) and ripped off 6.1 yards per carry in the last two games against Wake Forest and South Carolina with their top two backs, Will Shipley and Kobe Pace, also healthy again.

Mitchell Mayes, who can play inside or out, and Bryn Tucker also got some reps at guard as depth pieces. True freshman Dietrick Pennington, who could also line up at guard or tackle, might have done the same had he not sustained a torn ACL early in the season.

John Williams (knee) and Tayquon Johnson (pectoral) might’ve helped this season, too, if not for injuries that ended their seasons before they started. Johnson won’t return to the team next season.

Who’s leaving?

Bockhorst, Tchio, Johnson

Who’s staying?

Putnam, Tate (guard or tackle), Rayburn (center or guard), Trotter (center or guard), Mayes (guard or tackle), Tucker, Pennington (guard or tackle), Williams

Who’s joining?

No one as of now. Clemson inked two offensive linemen during the early signing period, but both project as tackles.

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Clemson’s depth along the offensive line is becoming dire

As the hits to Clemson’s offensive line continue to mount, the depth at that position is becoming dire. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday that backup lineman Paul Tchio has decided to enter the transfer portal, making for the latest defection …

As the hits to Clemson’s offensive line continue to mount, the depth at that position is becoming dire.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday that backup lineman Paul Tchio has decided to enter the transfer portal, making for the latest defection among a position group that’s been decimated by attrition up and down the depth chart. Swinney then uttered the harsh reality facing the unit.

“We’ve got what we’ve got,” he said. “Can’t ship anybody in here right now.”

Tchio started at guard against North Carolina State on Sept. 25 but had logged just seven snaps since after not playing against Louisville last week. With Tchio gone, that’s now five offensive linemen that were either significant contributors or in line to be this season that have been lost to season-ending injuries or a transfer.

It started in the preseason when Tayquon Johnson (pectoral injury) and John Williams (knee) had season-ending surgeries. Freshman Dietrick Pennington, whom Swinney pegged as a potential “difference maker” for the Tigers up front, then tore his ACL in September. Fifth-year senior Matt Bockhorst did the same against Pitt last month.

That in part has forced Clemson to start six different combinations along the line through its first nine games, and it appears Will Putnam will miss a second straight game Saturday when UConn visits Memorial Stadium because of an ankle injury. Putnam, who also didn’t play against Boston College on Oct. 2 because of an unrelated foot injury, is “a lot better and improving,” Swinney said, but coaches would like to hold him out if possible to give him more time to heal up.

But there aren’t a ton of available bodies left up front.

Mason Trotter, who had started the previous three games at center, moved over to fill in at right guard against Louisville in Putnam’s absence. That put Hunter Rayburn back in the starting lineup along with Jordan McFadden, Walker Parks and freshman Marcus Tate, who was reinserted as the starting left guard two games ago following Bockhorst’s injury.

The Tigers’ options are limited to the point that true freshmen Tristan Leigh and Ryan Linthicum, whom Clemson planned on redshirting this season, have been elevated from the scout team. Leigh and Linthicum made up the second-team offensive line during Monday’s practice along with redshirt freshmen Bryn Tucker and Trent Howard and sophomore Mitchell Mayes, Swinney said. Those five have combined to play just 102 offensive snaps this season.

“We’ve moved those guys up, and we’ll just keep rolling with what we’ve got,” Swinney said. “We’ve developed a lot of versatility in that offensive line. That’s for sure. We’ve got a lot of guys that can play multiple positions.”

Leigh, a former five-star signee, and Linthicum have only played in one game apiece so far, so with the NCAA’s four-game redshirt rule, they would still be able to play in three more games this season and maintain a year of eligibility. With Clemson having at least four games left (three regular-season games and a bowl game as well as an outside shot at the ACC title game), Swinney hinted at them only being used in an emergency situation.

At this point, though, Swinney isn’t ruling anything out the rest of the way.

“I’ve never had a year like this,” Swinney said.

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