Tag: Lyn-J Dixon

Elliott shares thoughts on Lyn-J Dixon situation with C.J. Spiller

Lyn-J Dixon hasn’t been heavily involved in Clemson’s running game through the first two games of this season. The senior running back had only four carries for 27 yards in the Tigers’ 49-3 win over South Carolina State on Saturday after rushing …

Lyn-J Dixon hasn’t been heavily involved in Clemson’s running game through the first two games of this season. The senior running back had only four carries for 27 yards in the Tigers’ 49-3 win over South Carolina State on Saturday after rushing just one time for 10 yards in the season-opening 10-3 loss to Georgia on Sept. 4.

Following the SC State game, head coach Dabo Swinney was asked what Dixon needs to do to be a bigger part of the offense going forward.

“He just needs to grow up,” Swinney said. “It’s that simple. He needs to be a team player. He’s a good player. Obviously he’s very talented and we’ve seen that, but we need him to stay out of (running backs coach C.J.) Spiller’s doghouse.”

On Monday, Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott addressed the Dixon situation while speaking to the media.

Elliott, who served as Dixon’s running backs coach the last three years before transitioning to his new role as the tight ends coach this year, said it is simply a matter of Dixon getting on the same page with his first-year running backs coach Spiller.

“I have (had conversations with Dixon) because I’ve been a part of his life,” Elliott said. “But at the same time, too, C.J. has to establish the culture in that room. Really the biggest thing is just accountability and communication between the two. I remember when I first came in (as Clemson’s running backs coach in 2011), I had Mike Bellamy, I had Demont Buice, (Andre) Ellington was an older guy, I had Hot Rod (Roderick McDowell), and I had to establish the dominant role in that room. Obviously, Ellington had been here for a while, and not saying that we were butting heads, but we had to get on the same page. He had to understand what my coaching style is, and that’s what you’re going through there.

“Obviously, Lyn-J has been used to me, and now he’s just getting used to Spiller. But y’all know Spiller, y’all know the character that he has and how he’s going to establish the hierarchy in that room. And any of us that are in a situation where you’ve got a chain of command, you’ve got to respect the chain of command and do things according to how the person that’s leading the room sets it. So, it’s really more accountability and communication between the two. They’re working through it. But you know our program, too. That’s what the foundation of our program is – accountability.”

Dixon entered 2021 with 1,372 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 208 career attempts and 183 yards on 18 catches over 38 games. The Butler, Ga., native came into his fourth season ranked second in school history in yards per carry (6.60) behind Clemson legend and former teammate Travis Etienne.

“There’s no question about the type of player that Lyn-J is,” Elliott said. “Lyn-J’s made a bunch of plays for us in this program. The biggest thing is just getting on the same page with his coach and the things that his coach is asking him to do. And it’s not necessarily football stuff, it’s the total package. And I think that’s been illustrated in our program, that everything matters if you’re going to be the lead guy and the first guy that runs out.”

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Swinney: Uiagalelei has to manage ‘outside noise’

Expectations are high for D.J. Uiagalelei. That’s part of the gig when taking over as the starting quarterback for one of college football’s premier programs, even when you’re succeeding the No. 1 draft pick. While the list isn’t as long as Trevor …

Expectations are high for D.J. Uiagalelei.

That’s part of the gig when taking over as the starting quarterback for one of college football’s premier programs, even when you’re succeeding the No. 1 draft pick. While the list isn’t as long as Trevor Lawrence’s at this point of his career, Uiagalelei’s credentials have further fueled them.

The Tigers’ signal caller is a former five-star recruit himself and excelled in a pair of unexpected spot starts last season as a true freshman. He threw for more than 700 yards against Boston College and Notre Dame during the regular season and finished the year completing 67% of his passes.

Uiagalelei is completing passes at just a 54% clip with more interceptions (2) than touchdown passes (1) through Clemson’s first two games. He also ran for a pair of scores in the Tigers’ 49-3 win over South Carolina State on Saturday, but the relatively slow start through the air has raised questions from media and fans alike regarding Uiagalelei’s performance.

As much praise as his quarterback got last season, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney knows Uiagalelei will also have his critics. Swinney said that’s the biggest challenge for Uiagelelei as he goes through his first season as the new face of Clemson’s offense.

“It just comes with the territory,” Swinney said. “These guys aren’t robots. This isn’t a video game. These are young human beings that are imperfect, and this is a big transition.

“I think just the outside noise, good and bad. The criticism and the praise that comes with a quarterback at a place like Clemson, I think that’s probably the biggest thing is learning how to manage all of that stuff that really doesn’t matter and staying focused on what you control.”

Uiagalelei has had his moments. After a first half to forget against Georgia in the Tigers’ 10-3 season-opening loss, Uiagalelei avoided the Bulldogs’ relentless pass rush long enough to go 9 of 16 for 103 of his 178 passing yards in the second half and led Clemson’s lone scoring drive in the fourth quarter. On Saturday, Uiagalelei finished 14 of 24 through the air and accounted for three touchdowns before taking a seat early in the third quarter.

There were some misfires, too. He threw high of a wide-open Justyn Ross in the end zone and did the same on a screen pass later in the first half to Joseph Ngata, resulting in an interception. There was also a moment early in the second quarter that Swinney said will serve as a teaching moment for a quarterback still learning with just four starts under his belt.

With Clemson’s offense facing third-and-7 backed up at its own 6-yard line, Uiagalelei took the snap in the end zone and rolled to his right. Running back Kobe Pace was late in picking up the blitzer off the edge, but instead of stepping inside the block or throwing the ball away under pressure, Uiagalelei kept backing up and floated a pass off his back foot toward E.J. Williams that was in the air long enough for South Carolina State safety Jaylen Evans to track it.

The only reason it wasn’t intercepted is because Evans dropped the ball.

“Really bad decision. Should’ve been intercepted,” Swinney said. “So, again, that’s just a young guy trying to do too much. There’s nothing wrong with punting the football. You’re backed up. What you don’t want to do is put your defense in a bad spot and make a bad decision, and that is what that was.”

Outside of that decision and the errant pick, Swinney said Uiagalelei’s performance was “excellent.” As for Uiagalelei’s accuracy and decision-making, Swinney voiced optimism that both will improve with more experience and exposure.

With Clemson’s ACC opener against Georgia Tech looming Saturday, Swinney said he has his reasons as to why he’s confident his cannon-armed quarterback will improve on what he’s done so far this season.

“First of all, he’s incredibly talented. As talented as we’ve had,” Swinney said. “Secondly, he cares. It’s very important to him, and he’s coachable. When you’ve got that combination, you’re going to get better.”

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

The good, the bad and the ugly from Clemson’s win over S.C. State

Clemson had an easy go of it Saturday in a 49-3 rout of South Carolina State. While it may have been a stress-free night for the Tigers, it wasn’t always a perfect one. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly that transpired for the home team inside …

Clemson had an easy go of it Saturday in a 49-3 rout of South Carolina State. While it may have been a stress-free night for the Tigers, it wasn’t always a perfect one. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly that transpired for the home team inside Memorial Stadium.

The good

Clemson flipped the script on the running game. After netting just 2 yards against Georgia — and rarely even giving the Bulldogs a look on the ground with just nine carries among the running backs — the Tigers made it a point to work on the ground game early and often against South Carolina State.

Not only did Clemson stick with it — 21 rushing attempts in the first half alone — but the Tigers also ripped off some chunk plays en route to 242 rushing yards. Lyn-J Dixon got it started with a 16-yard scamper on Clemson’s first offensive snap, and the Tigers ended up averaging 6.7 yards per carry (it was well over 7 until late in the second half when reserves were getting most of the reps), a sign of backs running behind an offensive line moving people at the point of attack. Freshman Will Shipley led the charge with 80 yards on eight carries and his first two career touchdowns, but eight different Tigers got at least one carry, including D.J. Uiagalelei, who had his number called on a handful of power quarterback runs and scored twice.

And while much of the attention was on how the offense would respond after last week’s poor showing, the defense quietly turned in another suffocating effort on a night when substitutions were early and often. Clemson forced seven three-and-outs. Only once did South Carolina State have a drive longer than six plays, and that was late in the third quarter against mostly reserves.

The Tigers have allowed two fields and just a hair above 4 yards per play through two games, and that includes playing a top-5 opponent. The unit certainly looks like it will be among the nation’s elite again this fall.

The bad

Uiagalelei played a little more than a half in the blowout win, completing 14 passes for 171 yards and a score in a much better showing than Week 1. But there was still some inconsistency against an inferior opponent.

Uiagalelei completed less than 60% of this passes (58.3) for the second straight week despite not being under nearly as much duress (no sacks) as he was against Georgia (seven sacks). He threw high of a wide-open Justyn Ross in the end zone while rolling to his right, and he missed the same way with his accuracy later in the first half when Ajou Ajou had to extend to try to catch a screen pass, which was intercepted.

Offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said those are fundamental fixes that don’t concern him long-term with the young quarterback.

“I think some of those were the throws on the run, which are hard to make, especially when the receiver is moving away from the quarterback and he’s moving off the launch point,” Elliott said. “So nothing to worry about. But you’ve got to go out there and continue to play. And, through experience, those things will sharpen up.”

There’s also the curious case of Dixon, the Tigers’ most experienced running back. The senior figured to have his biggest role yet in Clemson’s offense following Travis Etienne’s departure, but Dixon was held out of the first half against Georgia for what Swinney called team rules and then disappeared for long stretches after that long opening run Saturday.

He had just four touches the rest of the way, one of which was a 14-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney referred afterward to Dixon being in running backs coach C.J. Spiller’s doghouse and said Dixon “just needs to grow up,” which drew a response from Dixon on social media Sunday morning.

Elliott said Spiller has autonomy on deciding which running backs get in the game and for how long, so it’s clear something’s up. But Clemson could use a lot more of Dixon, who’s averaging 8.5 yards so far this season when he does touch the ball.

The ugly

There wasn’t a lot that didn’t go right for Clemson on Saturday — the Tigers even cut down on their penalties (seven to five) — but turnovers were a glaring issue. Clemson coughed it up three times, and had Joseph Ngata not been able to recover his own fumble on the Tigers’ opening possession of the second half, it could’ve been four.

Clemson finished minus-2 in the turnover battle. It was an uncharacteristically sloppy night for a team that averaged just 1.2 turnovers a game last season, though the Tigers are breaking in a new quarterback and some new running backs. Uiagalelei’s errant interception was also the only turnover committed by the first-team offense as Clemson got more than 100 players into the game.

Chalk it up to a bad night in the department for now, but the Tigers don’t need it to become a trend.

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

Dixon takes to Twitter after being called out by Swinney

Through two games, Lyn-J Dixon hasn’t been a big part of Clemson’s offense. The senior running back recorded only four carries for 27 yards in the Tigers’ 49-3 win over South Carolina State on Saturday after rushing just one time for 10 yards in the …

Through two games, Lyn-J Dixon hasn’t been a big part of Clemson’s offense.

The senior running back recorded only four carries for 27 yards in the Tigers’ 49-3 win over South Carolina State on Saturday after rushing just one time for 10 yards in the season-opening 10-3 loss to Georgia on Sept. 4.

Dixon made another appearance late in the second half against SC State and caught a 14-yard touchdown pass, but his four carries were the fewest among the Tigers’ primary backs Saturday.

After Saturday’s game, head coach Dabo Swinney was asked what Dixon needs to do to be a bigger part of the offense going forward.

“He just needs to grow up,” Swinney said. “It’s that simple. He needs to be a team player. He’s a good player. Obviously he’s very talented and we’ve seen that, but we need him to stay out of (running backs coach C.J.) Spiller’s doghouse.”

Dixon took to social media this morning with a couple of Tweets in what was likely a response to Swinney’s comments:

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Running game shows signs of life in runaway victory

One snap is all Clemson needed to reveal its intentions for the ground game. Lyn-J Dixon took the handoff on the Tigers’ first snap and rumbled 16 yards through the middle of South Carolina State’s defense, surpassing Clemson’s rushing output from a …

One snap is all Clemson needed to reveal its intentions for the ground game.

Lyn-J Dixon took the handoff on the Tigers’ first snap and rumbled 16 yards through the middle of South Carolina State’s defense, surpassing Clemson’s rushing output from a week ago. The senior running back got another carry on the next play. Kobe Pace got a carry two plays later. Then another.

Will Shipley took his turn next. The true freshman had back-to-back runs of 4 and 8 yards before the Tigers used quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei’s legs to cap their first scoring drive with a 4-yard scamper, one in which Clemson ran seven out of nine times and covered 56 of 72 yards on the ground.

It set the tone for a much more concerted effort to get the running game going Saturday night inside Memorial Stadium — and one that was far more productive than what Clemson did in that department seven days earlier.

Granted, the Tigers took a step down in competition against the in-state Football Championship Subdivision opponent, but Clemson’s run game showed its first real signs of life early in the new season as part of the Tigers’ 49-3 rout of South Carolina State. By the time it was over, Clemson tallied 242 rushing yards, ripping off 6.7 yards per carry.

After Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott spent much of the week voicing regret about abandoning the running game too early in the Tigers’ 10-3 loss to Georgia last week — Clemson’s backs combined for just nine carries on a night the Tigers netted just 2 rushing yards — Clemson reversed course Saturday.

Shipley led the way with 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just eight carries while Pace followed with 68 on seven, but the Tigers got numerous players carries early and often.

Clemson dialed up 10 more runs on its next three possessions (out of 16 total plays), all of which ended in touchdowns. Uiagalelei got his number called in mostly short-yardage situations with two of his five totes going for scores.

Freshman quarterback Will Taylor, who’s doubling as the Tigers’ primary punt returner, even got in on the action, carrying three times for 15 yards as part of a red-zone package. It would’ve been more had his 19-yard touchdown run on Clemson’s second possession counted, but an illegal block by receiver Joseph Ngata negated the score.

Clemson ran the ball 36 times with 21 of those attempts coming in the first two quarters when most of the Tigers’ primary backs were still getting reps and helping the Tigers build a 35-3 halftime lead. By the time Shipley dashed into the end zone from 13 yards out for Clemson’s first score of the third quarter, Clemson had already racked up 190 rushing yards. The Tigers were averaging well over 7 yards a tote until later in the game.

Clemson did it behind different combinations up front as the Tigers began starting rotating offensive linemen early, and it helped the Tigers turn in a more balanced effort offensively. They finished with 504 yards, and all but two of their touchdowns were of the rushing variety.
How Saturday’s showing carries over to next week’s ACC opener against Georgia Tech remains to be seen, but it was a bounceback performance that figures to double as a boost of confidence for a running game that needed it.

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

Clemson jumps out to big halftime lead

Clemson jumped out to a 35-3 halftime lead over South Carolina State in its return to a full-capacity Memorial Stadium in Clemson. The sixth-ranked Tigers responded with plenty of offense with 315 total yards including 177 yards on the ground after …

Clemson jumped out to a 35-3 halftime lead over South Carolina State in its return to a full-capacity Memorial Stadium in Clemson.

The sixth-ranked Tigers responded with plenty of offense with 315 total yards including 177 yards on the ground after a defensive slugfest in the season opener against Georgia last week.

On the first play from scrimmage, Lyn-J Dixon was able to surpass Clemson’s two-yard rushing total from the week prior with a 16-yard carry.

Dixon returned to action after head coach Dabo Swinney held him out for the first half of Clemson’s season opener for a violation of team rules.

The elder statesman of the Tigers’ running backs got the start out of the backfield on Saturday but split time with Kobe Pace, Will Shipley, Darien Rencher and Michel Dukes in the first half.

The Tigers got back to the basics in the first half. In the first quarter alone, Clemson rushed for 121 yards on 15 carries with three rushing touchdowns. At halftime, Clemson averaged 8.4 yards per carry.

As far as the defense was concerned, Clemson’s unit rose to the occasion for the second week in a row.

Clemson held S.C. State to 123 yards of offense. The Bulldogs were no match for Clemson’s starting defense, which played the bulk of the first half. 

After jumping out to a 28-0 lead, things started to slow down for the Tigers.

D.J. Uiagalelei made an errant throw that was nearly intercepted with the team backed up in its own territory.

On the ensuing drive, reserve sophomore linebacker R.J. Mickens intercepted SC State quarterback Corey Fields. Clemson had a short field with the end zone in sight, only for Uiaglelei to be intercepted on an overthrown screen pass, intended for Rencher, the super senior running back. 

Uiagalelei looked shaky at times, made some errant throws, including missing Justyn Ross multiple times in the end zone for should-be touchdowns.

He did make up for it by converting with Ross for an 11-yard touchdown.

All in all, Uiagalelei completed 11 of 21 passes for 138 yards with a touchdown and interception. He also had 16 rushing yards on three carries and two scores, both of them coming when he called his own number in the red zone.

Uiagalelei wasn’t the only quarterback to receive some carries. As a wildcat quarterback, true freshman Will Taylor had 14 yards on two carries. Though, the Dutch Fork product’s most explosive play came on special teams on a 51-yard punt return.

It wasn’t perfect. There were two miscues — Uiagalelei’s interception and Dukes’ fumble — still, the Tigers showed what they needed to and headed into the locker room with a 32-point lead.

B.T. Potter was just short of a 58-yard field goal as time expired on the first half.

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Tigers get into the end zone

Clemson scored its first touchdown of the 2021 season on a four yard run by D.J. Uiagalelei to give it a 7-0 lead over South Carolina State with 11:38 to play in the first quarter. The scoring drive covered 72 yards in nine plays and 3:22 before …

Clemson scored its first touchdown of the 2021 season on a four yard run by D.J. Uiagalelei to give it a 7-0 lead over South Carolina State with 11:38 to play in the first quarter.

The scoring drive covered 72 yards in nine plays and 3:22 before Uiagalelei powered in for the score. The Tigers ran the ball six times on the series with four different rushers in Lyn-J Dixon, Kobe Pace, Will Shipley and Uiagalelei.

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

Clemson has more work to do to evaluate this position

The competition among Lyn-J Dixon, Kobe Pace and Will Shipley leading up to last week’s season opener against Georgia was so tight that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was adamant all three running backs would play this season. Swinney’s confidence in …

The competition among Lyn-J Dixon, Kobe Pace and Will Shipley leading up to last week’s season opener against Georgia was so tight that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was adamant all three running backs would play this season.

Swinney’s confidence in the trio made him go as far as to say at one point that he didn’t care which one took the field first with the rest of the Tigers’ offense. Turns out that was Pace, but true to his word, all three logged snaps in Clemson’s 10-3 loss.

So what did Swinney think of their performances? Well…

“We just didn’t ever really give them a chance,” Swinney said. “Those guys are going to be outstanding, but it’s kind of hard to evaluate them.”

Life after Travis Etienne got off to a rough — and mostly absent — start for Clemson’s primary backs, who combined for just 24 rushing yards against the nation’s top run defense two years running. Some missed blocking assignments along the offensive line cost the Tigers opportunities for a big gainer here and there on the ground, but the real issue in evaluating the backs came with a lack of touches.

Dixon wasn’t available for the first half because of what Swinney called “team rules.” But even with Pace and Shipley around the whole time, the combined carries for the backs were in the single digits. Pace went for 2 yards on Clemson’s first offensive snap but got just three carries the rest of the way. Shipley touched the ball just four times while Dixon’s lone went for 10 yards once he made an appearance in the second half.

Even against a defense as stout as Georgia’s has proven to be, Swinney and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott voiced regret this week about abandoning the run as quickly as the Tigers did. Rarely even giving the Bulldogs a look in the running game put more of the pressure on D.J. Uiagalelei and the offensive line to hold up against Georgia’s relentless pass rush, which didn’t go well. 

Uiagalelei was sacked seven times, and the Tigers finished with just 180 total yards in their first game without a touchdown in nearly four years.

“I think there’s nobody that evaluates themselves more than the coaches themselves, that’s for sure,” Swinney said. “We made some mistakes, too. You look back, and there are a couple of things we should’ve hung in there on the run game a little bit more and didn’t do it. That’s definitely something we can improve on.”

Shipley also had an 11-yard catch and run to convert a third down in the first half after lining up out wide while Pace caught one pass for 6 yards. But Swinney said some mental breakdowns between the two prevented them from potentially being a bigger part of the passing game out of the backfield.

Swinney said the youngsters held up well in pass protection, but there were also times when they should’ve been out in more route concepts based on certain looks the offense was getting from Georgia’s defense.

“Sometimes we have protections where they’re kind of the Secret Service agent,” Swinney said. “They’re there for backup. And we’ve got free-release protections where they get out, but when we’ve got some check-release things, they overcomplicated things. They should’ve been out in the structure, especially against all the cover-2 (zone defense) and two-man stuff.

“The ball needs to find the back, but they’re in the backfield blocking nobody when they need to be in the route concept. So that’s where they’ve got to improve, and they will.”

The Tigers plan to get a bigger sample size out of their backs when Clemson returns to action Saturday in its home opener against South Carolina State. Kickoff from Memorial Stadium is set for 5 p.m.

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

Will it be running back by committee for Clemson?

With just eight days left before Clemson and Georgia kick off the season with their top-5 clash in Charlotte, Dabo Swinney still hasn’t seen much separation among the Tigers’ running backs. At this point, Clemson’s coach isn’t really looking for it. …

With just eight days left before Clemson and Georgia kick off the season with their top-5 clash in Charlotte, Dabo Swinney still hasn’t seen much separation among the Tigers’ running backs.

At this point, Clemson’s coach isn’t really looking for it.

“They’re all kind of right there (near the top of the depth chart),” Swinney said.

Swinney compared the options in the backfield to the depth the Tigers have at defensive end, where five players have started multiple games for Clemson. Neither Lyn-J Dixon, Kobe Pace nor true freshman Will Shipley have started a game at running back for Clemson, but that’s likely to change inside Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 4.

They’ve consistently led the competition having all gotten first-team reps during fall camp, but as for which one takes the field for the Tigers’ first offensive snap?

“I mean, I don’t really care who runs out there,” Swinney said. “I’ve got confidence in those guys. Those guys are ready to play. A lot of competition, but competition among really good players. And I feel really good about that group.”

So the task of replacing the ACC’s all-time leading rusher, Travis Etienne, is trending toward a committee approach among Clemson’s current collection of backs, which also includes Derion Rencher, Michel Dukes and another freshman, Phil Mafah. All of them bring something a little bit different at this point of their respective careers.

For Dixon, it’s a wealth of knowledge and experience. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound is heading into his fourth year in the offense with 1,372 rushing yards and 519 career snaps having served as Etienne’s primary backup the last couple of seasons.

At 5-10 and 210 pounds, Pace may have the best combination of size and shiftiness at the position and will have a much larger role after getting just 23 touches out of the backfield as a freshman last season. As for Shipley, there aren’t yet any collegiate snaps to his name, but, according to his coaches and teammates, the five-star signee’s skill set has been as advertised ever since he arrived on campus in January.

Most notably, Shipley possesses the kind of speed that already has his teammates debating whether or not he’s the fastest player on Clemson’s roster. The Tigers could also try to take advantage of that by getting Shipley in space as a receiver or even in the return game.

“He’s probably a good assumption,” Swinney said, referencing the likelihood of Shipley seeing the field early and often this season. “He’s a definite guy. Don’t think there’s any big secret there.”

Rencher, who began his career as a walk-on, is a sixth-year player that hasn’t gotten a ton of opportunities (74 career carries) but has Swinney’s trust whenever he’s on the field. Dukes missed part of fall camp but is back with the team while Mafah, a four-star recruit, is already the biggest back on the roster at 6-1 and 225 pounds.

“I don’t foresee a situation where one guy is playing,” Swinney said. “I think we’ve got a really, really talented group, and they’ll all have a hand in it.”

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

Revisiting 5 key questions for Clemson coming out of fall camp

At the start of the month, The Clemson Insider posed five key questions facing Clemson heading into fall camp. Now that camp is over, TCI is revisiting those questions to see where the Tigers are in finding the answers. What does the QB depth look …

At the start of the month, The Clemson Insider posed five key questions facing Clemson heading into fall camp. Now that camp is over, TCI is revisiting those questions to see where the Tigers are in finding the answers.

What does the QB depth look like?

The short answer? Much better than expected.

Taisun Phommachanh’s ruptured Achilles tendon created all sorts of uncertainty as to who would be D.J. Uiagalelei’s backup this season. After all, Phommachanh’s injury happened less than five months ago in Clemson’s spring game.

Yet Phommachanh was on the field for the Tigers’ first practice this month and hasn’t been limited much, at least from a physical standpoint. He’s been held out of tempo drills and some team periods at times, but he looked to be throwing on the run and getting more of his mobility back toward the end of camp.

Will Phommachanh travel and be available against Georgia in two weeks? Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott haven’t offered much in terms of a timetable for Phommachanh’s full return, saying only that they’re expecting him back sooner rather than later.

If not, sophomore walk-on Hunter Helms, who’s been getting second-team reps in practice when Phommachanh has been held out, would be the backup. But don’t rule out Phommachanh being ready in time for the trip to Charlotte, which would’ve been hard to believe five months ago.

Who will emerge as the featured back?

No one knows. At least coaches aren’t saying it publicly if they do.

All indications are that the competition to replace Travis Etienne atop the depth chart at running back has been heated. Swinney said early in camp that every back was still being considered for the job. Even Lyn-J Dixon and Kobe Pace, the two believed to have the best shot at it, have admitted there hasn’t been much separation.

If someone does emerge, it’s likely to be one of them. Dixon, who’s backed up Etienne the last couple of seasons, has the most experience as a senior while Pace is a talented sophomore that’s flashed in preseason scrimmages, including a powerful red-zone run in the first one where he pushed the pile for a touchdown, according to Elliott.

But true freshman Will Shipley has also rotated in with the ones at times and will have some sort of role within the offense given the kind of game-breaking speed the five-star signee possesses. Don’t be surprised if Clemson handles the carries by committee this fall.

Can Justyn Ross return to his old form?

It’s too early to adequately answer this question given Ross is barely a week into his return after getting full medical clearance and clearing COVID-19 protocols, but the early returns couldn’t be much better.

Ross participated in his first scrimmage Thursday and took what Swinney described as some “good hits” before popping right back up, a good sign for a player who’s less than eight months removed from corrective spinal fusion surgery. Swinney said Ross also turned in some explosive plays.

Simply put, Ross is one of college football’s top receivers and a first-round talent when he’s playing up to his capability. As Uiagalelei alluded to at one point during camp, Ross’ resume speaks for itself.

Clemson has plans to move Ross around to try to find all the mismatches they can for the 6-4, 205-pounder. So if Ross gets back anywhere close to being the kind of player he was as a freshman and sophomore, it completely changes the dynamic of Clemson’s offense and how teams have to go about trying to defend the Tigers.

Who will be the offensive line’s best five?

Jordan McFadden (left tackle), Will Putnam (right guard) and Walker Parks (right tackle) will be three of them, but things are still extremely fluid at the other two positions up front.

That’s primarily because the Tigers still aren’t sure which direction they want to go at center. The competition between Mason Trotter, Hunter Rayburn, Matt Bockhorst and Trent Howard continues, and Swinney didn’t rule out the possibility of it playing out all the way up until game week.

If Bockhorst ultimately wins that job, there will be another void to fill at left guard, where Bockhorst was the starter last season. Paul Tchio could slide in there as could Trotter or Rayburn if they lose out at center. Even true freshman Marcus Tate, who’s been taking some first-team reps at left guard when Bockhorst reps at center, is an option.

Swinney reiterated throughout camp that getting Clemson’s best five linemen on the field is the end game. If that means Bockhorst at center, so be it. But, for the benefit of chemistry and cohesion among the starting group, Clemson needs to make a decision sooner rather than later.

What is Fred Davis’ status with the team?

Davis was charged with reckless driving last month after Clemson police said the Tigers’ sophomore cornerback struck a mail carrier vehicle with his car and injured multiple people, a lapse in judgement that Swinney said is being handled with internal punishment.

Davis was not dismissed from the team, and he hasn’t missed any practice time (that we know of, at least). Could the misdemeanor charge cost him a game or two? Swinney declined to go into detail as to exactly what Davis’ punishment will entail, but that type of suspension is always possible.

But Davis is one of just six scholarship cornerbacks on the roster, so the depth at that position isn’t great to begin with, particularly when the Tigers play more than two corners at a time. It will be less of a concern if Davis doesn’t have to miss any game time, but if he does, keeping the group healthy will be crucial.

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