Tag: James Skalski

Carter on defense: ‘No one needs to be the superhero’

Clemson’s latest and lone loss of the season at Notre Dame has many wondering just what has transpired since the beginning of the season to now. With the Tigers coming into the season with one of the most highly touted defensive units in the …

Clemson’s latest and lone loss of the season at Notre Dame has many wondering just what has transpired since the beginning of the season to now. With the Tigers coming into the season with one of the most highly touted defensive units in the country, Saturday’s performance came as a shock not just to outsiders, but also to linebacker Barrett Carter and his teammates, who chalk up the loss to a lack of discipline on their end.

“I think it was really more on us,” Carter said. “We’ve got to be more disciplined with our gaps. No one needs to be a superhero; I’m not talking about anyone in general, just do your job and the plays will make themselves. We’ve just got to be more disciplined as a defense, stay in our gaps and then we’ll stop them, and we weren’t doing that, so we just got to move on.”

Moving full steam ahead, Carter hopes to draw from the immense experience and knowledge that was set before him.

During his freshman campaign in 2021, the Peach State native had the opportunity to learn from some of Clemson’s best in guys like James Skalski and Baylon Spector, both of whom brought a level of precision to the game that Carter hopes to emulate both in the linebacker room and in the defensive backfield this season.

“Having them, they made things so much easier,” the sophomore said. “They were students of the game, so when I was coming in, they helped me a lot with that. I think we are just trying to sort of pick up where they left off, just being students of the game like that and kind of knowing what’s happening before it even happens.

“Of course, we’re still working every day to get better and strive to keep being students of the game, keep learning what offenses are gonna do so we kinda know what to expect, just like Skalski and Baylon would. They taught us a lot, so we’re just trying to learn from them and pick up where they left off, especially being students of the game like them.”

Despite the sting that comes with the loss, there is no time for Carter and the Tigers’ defense to lose faith. With three more matchups on deck at Memorial Stadium as well as an ACC Championship performance right around the corner, now’s the time to lock in and keep fighting for what the linebacker hopes is another College Football Playoff berth.

“Of course, and we’re never losing faith,” Carter said. “We know what our goals are as a team, so that’s always going to be the end goal. This loss that we just took, there’s no demoralization throughout the team. We’re still focused, we know what all we can accomplish, all of our goals are still on the table, and you never know what can happen throughout all of college football. We’re just going to go to work and whatever happens, happens, but we’re going to keep fighting as a team and just finish as strong as we can.”

Swinney, Tigers holding ‘special’ freshman receiver for late in season

Dabo Swinney is a big fan of the four-game redshirt rule, which allows players to redshirt and thus maintain a year of eligibility if they play in four games or less during a single season. That’s because the rule, which was introduced four years …

Dabo Swinney is a big fan of the four-game redshirt rule, which allows players to redshirt and thus maintain a year of eligibility if they play in four games or less during a single season.

That’s because the rule, which was introduced four years ago, gives Swinney and the Tigers the opportunity to be strategic — like they were in 2018, when James Skalski played 38 snaps over four games while redshirting.

That year, the former Clemson linebacker played in just one game during the regular season before seeing action in the ACC title game against Pittsburgh, the College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame and the Tigers’ CFP national championship victory over Alabama.

“I love it. I really do,” Swinney said Monday regarding the four-game redshirt rule. “Like for example, if you think about that year where we were able to hold Skalski. He played in the last three games — ACC Championship, the playoff game and the national championship — and we needed him.”

Swinney says the Tigers envision doing something similar this year with Cole Turner, the true freshman receiver who has yet to make his college debut but whom Clemson’s head coach is very high on.

“We are trying to do that like Cole Turner,” Swinney said. “Cole Turner is going to be… He is going to be some kind of special player. That is why we have not played him yet. We are really trying to save his four games.”

Another legacy recruit for Clemson, Turner is the younger brother of the Tigers’ former All-American safety, Nolan Turner. Cole was a versatile playmaker at Vestavia Hills (Ala.), catching 42 passes for 581 yards and six touchdowns as a senior while also returning punts and kicks. He scored touchdowns doing both.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder initially focused on basketball before playing his first season of high school football as a junior. He enrolled at Clemson this past summer after committing to Swinney’s program back in January.

“He is a kid that nobody knows about right now,” Swinney said. “He is going to be a heck of a player for us. So, it is fun to be able to have the opportunity to be strategic with how you use some of the guys.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Two former Clemson defenders waived

Both defenders still have an opportunity to be picked up by their respective teams’ practice squads for the upcoming 2022 season.

Two former Clemson defenders have been waived following the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline on Tuesday.

Safety Nolan Turner and linebacker James Skalski were both waived following their first NFL camp and preseason.

Turner, who spent six seasons with the Tigers (2016-21), signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent this past spring. In his time at Clemson, the Alabama native and 2020 All-American recorded 259 tackles, 20 pass breakups, seven interceptions for 78 yards, 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles.

James Skalski also spent six seasons with the Tigers and signed on with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent this spring. The three-year starter garnered 310 tackles (20.5 for loss), 10.0 sacks, 12 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble over 69 games and 38 career starts. Skalski remains the only player in Clemson history to ever play in and win five ACC Championship games in his career.

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NFL team waives former Clemson LB

This former Clemson linebacker is among the former Tigers who were waived by NFL teams on Tuesday. James Skalski was waived by the Indianapolis Colts, per Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star. Skalski, who signed an undrafted free-agent deal …

This former Clemson linebacker is among the former Tigers who were waived by NFL teams on Tuesday.

James Skalski was waived by the Indianapolis Colts, per Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star.

Skalski, who signed an undrafted free-agent deal with the Colts, was a two-year team captain at Clemson who completed his six-year career spanning 2016-21 credited with 310 career tackles (20.5 tackles for loss), 10.0 sacks, 12 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

The Sharpsburg, Ga., native played in 69 career games for the Tigers, which tied for the school record.

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Clemson linebackers ‘striving to be students of the game’ like Skalski and Spector

Clemson no longer has veterans James Skalski and Baylon Spector, but the next group of linebackers will try to carry on the duo’s legacy through their work on and off the field.

For the first time in a long time, Clemson fans will see a different linebacker core this upcoming season without James Skalski and Baylon Spector, but this year’s group is still trying to keep the same identity.

When Skalski and Spector left after 2021, their departures left gaping holes in the front seven, giving a handful of other players an opportunity to fill their shoes.

One of those players is redshirt junior Keith Maguire, who is one of the oldest linebackers on the roster and is competing for Skalski’s former spot at the Mike’ backer position.

Entering his fourth season with Clemson, Maguire knows it’s his time to shine without having Skalski and Spector on the field.

“When they left, you realize that you have to step up and take that lead,” Maguire said on Tuesday.

“Those two guys were obviously some of the best two linebackers you could have, so there was a level of it that you knew where your spot was. When they left, we all knew that both spots were open, and (starting) day one, everyone’s trying to compete, put their best foot forward and try to earn that spot.”

Maguire was credited with 15 tackles and a pass breakup in 2021, and was a three-star recruit out of high school.

His sentiments were shared by LaVonta Bently and Jeremiah Trotter, who are both competing with Maguire to start at middle linebacker.

Maguire said that the three of them have been splitting snaps in the middle, much like they did in the spring.

On the other hand, rising sophomore Barrett Carter figures to play significant snaps at multiple positions in 2022, including at all three linebacker positions and safety.

While Carter isn’t primarily competing for Skalski’s old position, he knows that the group has to take on the same identity that Skalski and Spector did.

“I think we’re all striving to be students of the game like they were,” Carter said. “Not only were they students of the game, but they translated it to the field, and they made the plays. I think we’re just trying to carry on that impact and that legacy that they left.”

The entire linebacker rotation remains very fluid up to this point, but head coach Dabo Swinney is confident that the Tigers have the talent to replace Skalski and Spector.

“They all can play,” Swinney said last week. “LaVonta Bentley, as a redshirt junior, that’s a bad dude right there. He’s a grown man. … But Trotter, Maguire, Bentley and Trenton Simpson, you can just throw them up in the air.”

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Why this season is personal for veteran Clemson linebacker

If this upcoming season is anything for LaVonta Bentley, it’s personal. That’s a word that the redshirt junior linebacker made sure to not only emphasize but repeat, as he met with reporters following Tuesday’s practice. “It’s just a drive like it’s …

If this upcoming season is anything for LaVonta Bentley, it’s personal.

That’s a word that the redshirt junior linebacker made sure to not only emphasize but repeat, as he met with reporters following Tuesday’s practice.

“It’s just a drive like it’s personal,” Bentley said regarding his strong start to fall camp. “This year’s personal, not just because of the players I had in front of me last year, just for myself. I feel like I’m the oldest in the room, so I gotta be the leader and step up for the young guys and just be there for them.” 

In order to become a well-rounded player, Bentley has focused on some of the finer details, even taking up yoga this summer. He knows that there aren’t many linebackers at the collegiate level that are doing what he does to get better, which also involves working on his pass-rush skills — something he doesn’t do often — with Kevin Swint and Tyler Davis.

“Just the little things make a big difference,” he added.

Bentley is one of the hardest working players on Clemson’s roster and a lot of that comes from his drive. Bentley is self-driven by his why, which is being able to help his mother out, but also being that male figure in the household that his nieces and nephews can look up to.

His goal is to make it to the league and follow in the footsteps of Quinnen and Quincy Williams of the New York Jets, who both also hail from Betley’s hometown of Birmingham (Ala.).

While he’s motivated by his why and his aspirations of playing at the next level, there’s also a sense of urgency.

With James Skalski and Baylon Spector graduating to the NFL, the torch has officially been passed down to Bentley and Keith Maguire. There’s an expectation that they’ll need to meet to keep the standard that those two set at the linebacker position and as Bentley said, “keep the flame lit.”

It’s not just about replacing their production, but also the level of football knowledge that both Skalski and Spector had was like having two extra coaches on the field. 

Bentley doesn’t expect that to change in their absence.

“I feel (the knowledge) has been passed on,” Bentley said. “So, some of the things that they were doing, the characteristics, have just been passed down to us. We’re doing the same thing that they were doing to us. Bringing the young guys in, going over the little details…and the reason why they doing what they doing.”

Bentley has embraced his role as a leader. He’s not focused so much on how the competition is going, but more so on how the group is coming together as a whole. He’s ready for his opportunity and maintains that it doesn’t matter who runs out there first or second, as long as everyone knows what they’re doing once they go out there.

Dabo Swinney dishes on Trenton Simpson’s growth and ‘unlimited potential’

As Clemson began fall camp on Friday, Trenton Simpson weighed in at 240 pounds and, according to Dabo Swinney, is the “best version of himself.”

Most 2023 NFL mock drafts already have Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson pegged as a first-round draft pick, but according to head coach Dabo Swinney, Simpson isn’t done developing as a Tiger.

As Clemson began its first fall practice on Friday, Swinney and his staff were looking for players to arrive more equipped than when they were last with the team in the spring.

For Simpson, part of that growth came in the weight room, as he weighed in at an official 240 pounds, 10 pounds higher than what was listed last season.

“He’s a freak, man,” Swinney said on Friday. “It’s not the weight, it’s the composition of the weight, and that’s what it comes down to. He’s big, strong, fast, lean and smart. He’s been a great, dynamic player his first two years here.”

Simpson’s physical growth in the weight room and his development as a complete football player over the summer is an epitome of what Swinney expected from his players while they were on break.

“Trenton Simpson is the best Trenton Simpson that he’s ever been,” Swinney said. “That’s the mentality that it takes to have a great program. If the best version of you is back when you were a freshman, then something’s wrong. I don’t care if you made Freshman All-American; you got to get better. If everybody buys into that, then we will all be better. Trenton is the perfect example of that. This is the best version of himself than he’s been since a Clemson Tiger.”

As a sophomore in 2021, Simpson was credited with 65 total tackles (12.5 for loss), six sacks and two pass breakups.

As Simpson enters his junior year, Swinney believes the linebacker has “unlimited potential” and, with the self-improvement, is equipped with the right tools to wreak havoc on opposing offenses as he transitions to the weakside ‘backer spot.

“That’s good news for the Tigers, bad news for whoever we play,” Swinney said. “(Simpson) has a good combination of experience, size, strength, speed, athleticism and character.”

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Colts’ 2022 training camp preview: Linebackers

Here’s a look at the LB corps entering Colts training camp.

The Indianapolis Colts are officially one week away from the start of training camp with veterans set to report July 26.

Among those veterans will be the linebackers led by Darius Leonard and Bobby Okereke. The Colts didn’t make too many changes to the linebacker room outside of adding a veteran special teamer and two intriguing undrafted rookie free agents following the 2022 NFL draft.

Be sure to check out the other position previews ahead of training camp:

Here’s our preview for the linebacker position entering training camp:

Clemson drops and falls outside top 10 in ESPN’s college football rankings

Based on ESPN’s most recent college football rankings, Clemson will have to prove it belongs in the CFP discussion next season.

After missing the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2015, Clemson will have to re-earn a top 10 spot in rankings next season.

Led by one of the nation’s stingiest defenses, the Tigers finished the 2021 season with a 10-3 record, but compared to their previous appearances in the CFP, it was considered a down year by many.

With the drop in performance, ESPN doesn’t have the same level of optimism for next season as in years past, as it has Clemson at No. 12 in the country in the way-too-early top 25. In the top 11 and above Clemson, some notable teams are North Carolina State, USC, Oklahoma State, Utah and Michigan State.

Here’s what ESPN’s Mark Schlabach had to say about the Tigers dropping from their previous ranking at No. 11.

Previous ranking: 11
2021 record: 10-3 (6-2 ACC)
Returning starters: 10 offense, 6 defense, 1 special teams
Key departures: LB Baylon Spector, LB James Skalski, CB Andrew Booth Jr., FS Nolan Turner, CB Mario Goodrich, WR Justyn Ross
Key additions: QB Cade Klubnik, CB Jeadyn Lukus, WR Antonio Williams, OT Collin Sadler, WR Adam Randall, CB Toriano Pride, CB Sherrod Covil Jr.
Spring update: Clemson has two new coordinators — Brandon Streeter on offense and Wes Goodwin on defense — and coach Dabo Swinney hopes the Tigers return to their old ways after slipping with three losses in 2021. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei shed about 25 pounds in the offseason after struggling in his first season as the full-time starter. Uiagalelei left spring practice atop the depth chart, but he might continue to be pushed by Klubnik, an early enrollee, who looked good over 15 practices. Clemson’s defensive line had its way in the spring game against a thin offensive line. Randall, who was expected to help the wide receiver corps, might miss the season after suffering a torn ACL in his knee during the spring.

Clemson has a manageable regular season schedule in 2022, so if the Tigers can win at least 11 games in that stretch, they should return to a high position in the rankings.

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Darien Rencher ‘just wanted an opportunity’ and now he has one

Tack on another undrafted Clemson player to receive an invitation to NFL camp.

Another former Clemson Tiger is getting his shot in the NFL after the Carolina Panthers extended an invitation to running back Darien Rencher.

After participating in Clemson’s pro day in March, Rencher relayed that he was actively pursuing a career in the NFL, and now he has a chance to make the Panthers roster.

Rencher spent the past six seasons with the Tigers, racking up 437 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 93 carries. He was also the recipient of the 2020 Disney Spirit Award, given to college football’s most inspirational figure.

With the invitation, Rencher joins a large group of undrafted Tigers heading to NFL camps, including wide receiver Justyn Ross, linebacker James Skalski, cornerback Mario Goodrich and safety Nolan Turner.

“I just wanted an opportunity,” Rencher said on Twitter.

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