Former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain joined Packer and Durham on ACC Network this week and gave his thoughts on the Tigers’ Orange & White Spring Game last Saturday at Death Valley.
Mac Lain, who was one of the announcers for Clemson’s spring game on ACCN, was asked what he saw from the Tigers and if anything in particular stood out to him.
“That we know nothing,” Mac Lain said. “The defense is going to be really good, that’s for sure. But having 20 guys out (20 scholarship players unavailable to participate), it really hurt them. I mean, I’m looking out at wide receiver, and 5-8, 160 – they all look just the same, and that’s not going to be out there on Saturdays (during the season).
“So, it was kind of a hard tell, if you will. Offensive line, same thing. I looked at D.J. (Uiagalelei)’s offensive line. He had Will Putnam at center, never played center before, he had two freshmen and two walk-ons. So, good luck blocking Xavier Thomas, Myles Murphy, K.J. Henry and the boys (on the defensive line). So, you have to take things with a grain of salt and you have to really look at OK, what can I learn from this?”
Speaking of Uiagalelei, Mac Lain is “very impressed” by the slimmed-down quarterback’s physical transformation this offseason and thinks Clemson fans should be encouraged by what Uiagalelei displayed during the spring game, despite the fact his stats from the game don’t jump off the page (17-of-36 passing for 175 yards with an interception).
“When I look at D.J. specifically, number one, body looks unbelievable. … It’s very impressive what D.J. has been able to do,” Mac Lain said. “Very impressed with that, his dedication to that off-the-field type of stuff, his mobility, his ability to extend the pocket. And when I say that, a lot of people, they think dual-threat, they think scrambling around, and that’s not what D.J.’s going to be. But if he can manipulate that pocket just a bit and maybe avoid a guy and just get right outside into that passing lane… I saw that, and then just the comfort of the offense. Those things really stood out to me.
“Now, obviously result wise it’s not what you want to see and you need to see more. But those little things, if you dive into the film, you see that, Clemson fans have to feel OK, have to feel better, than what they saw all along in 2021.”
Clemson’s spring game, though, was a defensive showdown with the Orange and White squads combining for nine sacks in the first half alone.
K.J. Henry led the White team with 3.5 sacks among his six tackles in the first two quarters, while defensive end counterpart Myles Murphy posted three sacks for the Orange team in the first half.
“That defense is going to be lights out,” Mac Lain said. “When you look at the defensive line specifically, I truly think there are eight guys there deep where they could play anywhere in the country, and start. That’s how effective and efficient those guys are up front.”
Mac Lain added that he believes the Tigers look like an improved unit at linebacker right now despite the losses of veterans James Skalski and Baylon Spector, the tandem that Dabo Swinney called “The Bruise Brothers.”
“The athleticism, the speed… And as you mentioned, those two guys in Spector and Skalski gone, I’m like, ‘Man, this is going to be a big step back for these guys,’ just because so much experience, so much talent that has been there forever. I mean, those two were coaches on the field,” Mac Lain said.
“What do they replace them with? I mean, savages. These guys are out there sprinting around. They look so fast. They love this new (defensive coordinator) Wes Goodwin defense and the things that they are going to try to do. … As crazy as it is to say, right now in spring ball, I think it’s an upgrade from where they were last year in regards to speed, instincts, athleticism.”
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