Tag: Tom Luginbill

ESPN analyst: ‘The sky is not falling in Clemson, South Carolina’

Tom Luginbill, a senior national recruiting analyst for ESPN, recently published an article on how he sees the 2022 recruiting cycle affecting the 2022 College Football Playoff. Luginbill listed Clemson as one of five teams poised to improve its …

Tom Luginbill, a senior national recruiting analyst for ESPN, recently published an article on how he sees the 2022 recruiting cycle affecting the 2022 College Football Playoff.

Luginbill listed Clemson as one of five teams poised to improve its 2022 College Football Playoff chances through recruiting (subscription required).

“No, the sky is not falling in Clemson, South Carolina,” Luginbill wrote. “Despite the loss of multiple NFL draft choices, a rash of injuries and below-average quarterback play, this team still won 10 games and beat Iowa State in its bowl game. The Tigers are young, but now experienced and very talented at key spots with a feature player at running back in Will Shipley.”

Luginbill cited “an upgrade at QB” with five-star freshman Cade Klubnik — who enrolled early in January and is competing with D.J. Uiagalelei in spring practice — as the main reason why the Tigers made Luginbill’s list.

“Clemson is still the class of the ACC, and with slightly improved QB play, they will be tough to beat,” Lugibill wrote. “So, can Cade Klubnik beat out D.J. Uiagalelei? Clemson needs him to. The problem with Uiagalelei isn’t a lack of talent; it’s a lack of accuracy, and that can’t always be taught. Klubnik is an early enrollee and should push Uiagalelei hard. With Klubnik at the helm, the offense could become less prone to mistakes.”

Luginbill also noted that the Tigers added talent to their secondary with a few ESPN 300 players in safety Sherrod Covil (No. 210 in the ESPN 300) and cornerbacks Jeadyn Lukus (No. 34) and Toriano Pride (No. 149).

Texas A&M, Ohio State, Texas and Baylor are the other teams on Luginbill’s list.

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ESPN analyst questions how much transfer portal would actually help Clemson

During ESPN’s College Football Live: Signing Day Special on Wednesday, ESPN/ACC Network analyst Roddy Jones stated that he feels Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney must “start to embrace” the NCAA transfer portal. ESPN analyst/national recruiting …

During ESPN’s College Football Live: Signing Day Special on Wednesday, ESPN/ACC Network analyst Roddy Jones stated that he feels Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney must “start to embrace” the NCAA transfer portal.

ESPN analyst/national recruiting director Tom Luginbill agreed with Jones to a certain extent, but is also skeptical about how much the portal would benefit the Tigers and questioned how many players in it would actually improve Clemson’s roster, considering how well it has recruited during Swinney’s tenure and all the talent already on the current depth chart.

“The one thing about that too, though, I think is really interesting in this,” Luginbill said. “Because let’s talk about the portal for what it is — it’s an opportunity to improve your roster, right. Well, if you’re a Clemson and you have the talent and the depth that they have built over the last decade… If you’re an Alabama, if you’re a Georgia, who’s in the transfer portal that’s better than what you’re playing with?”

Luginbill believes the Tigers could use the transfer portal to improve their team in certain areas, but doesn’t think there’s a ton of players in the portal that would be upgrades over who they currently have on the roster.

“It’s not as if Clemson’s just going to go jump into the transfer portal and there’s going to be 20 guys in there that are all better than who he has on his two- and three-deep right now,” Luginbill said. “It could be supplemented.”

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ESPN analyst: Swinney, Tigers ‘missed on D.J. Uiagalelei’

Coming out of St. John Bosco High School in California, D.J. Uiagalelei was considered a five-star quarterback and ranked as a top-three national prospect regardless of position in the 2020 class by both 247Sports and Rivals. However, the other …

Coming out of St. John Bosco High School in California, D.J. Uiagalelei was considered a five-star quarterback and ranked as a top-three national prospect regardless of position in the 2020 class by both 247Sports and Rivals.

However, the other major recruiting service — ESPN — was lower on Uiagalelei, rating him as a four-star prospect and ranking him outside the top 30 overall players in the country for his class.

ESPN analyst and national recruiting director Tom Luginbill pointed that out this week during an appearance on the “Out of Bounds” show with Bo Bounds on ESPN The Zone 105.9, adding that he believes Dabo Swinney and the Tigers missed on Uiagalelei during the recruiting process.

“Listen, for the first time in Dabo Swinney’s tenure, and I mean this sincerely, and I felt this way when the guy came out — it’s one of the reasons why not only did we not have him as a top-five player, a top-10 player; I think he was our 38th-ranked overall player — they missed on D.J. Uiagalelei,” Luginbill said.

“And that is the first time in really three cycles that Clemson has not hit on a quarterback. And all of the sudden, when that happens, you become mortal pretty quickly, and now they’re having to work around all that.”

In nine games as a sophomore this season, Uiagalelei has completed 56.2 percent of his passes for 1,511 yards and seven touchdowns with six interceptions while rushing for 239 yards and four touchdowns.

Luginbill thinks it’s apparent why the Tigers (6-3, 5-2 ACC) are having a relatively down season, when you take into account Uiagalelei’s struggles as well as the key departures on offense from last season and the offensive line issues.

“Now, that [Clemson missing on Uiagalelei] happened to coincide with the departure of Travis Etienne and Amari Rodgers, and then you couple that with a very below average to average at best offensive line group, it’s kind of obvious to see what’s happened in Clemson,” Luginbill said. “But that doesn’t mean that they’re all of a sudden going to regress and go back to being a 7-5 team for the next 20 years. But I think you’ve got to acknowledge some of the events that kind of came together at once, and on top of that, the most important position in football, they may have missed on.”

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Luginbill on how NIL may change after this season

On College Sports Sunday on SiriusXM Radio, there was an interesting discussion about name, image and likeness and the investment companies made before the season in endorsing athletes such as Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei who have struggled …

On College Sports Sunday on SiriusXM Radio, there was an interesting discussion about name, image and likeness and the investment companies made before the season in endorsing athletes such as Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei who have struggled so far this season.

You can read the question from Tom Luginbill, an ESPN analyst, and the full response from Chris Plank, a sideline reporter for the Sooner Sports Radio Network who hosts multiple national shows, in the transcription below.

Luginbill: “If you are an endorser, if you are a company, if you’re a CFO, if you’re a CEO and you’re watching college football unfold, and you’re one of those folks that have pushed your chips to the table and you said, we’re investing in this guy. Where does this all go from here?”

Plank: “You’ve got to be more patient, and I know that that’s not in anyone’s DNA. I think for marketers or business owners … You think about (Wisconsin quarter) Graham Mertz and (Miami quarter) D’Eriq King, those guys who immediately, when NIL was announced, were patted on the back. It’s like hey, go get your money, kid. But then you realize, if things don’t go well for them during the season, you can’t get out. It’s not like Tom Luginbill’s Chevy could get mad at (Oklahoma quarterback) Spencer Rattler because he’s not playing well. Well, the contract, when you’re in, you’re in. So, you’ve got to I think be a little bit more calculated. Maybe a challenge is them to be a little bit more creative in developing that relationship. I don’t know. But I have been thoroughly impressed with how quickly fans will use that to say hey, wait a minute here, you tell me I can’t boo or I can’t do that. Meanwhile, this guy’s getting paid to sell me a car or this guy’s getting paid to sell me a service.

“So, I don’t want to say it’s blurred those lines by any stretch of the imagination, but it has kind of opened up that whole Pandora’s Box, that conversation of do we treat them like we would treat a pro athlete, do we treat them any differently. Because I’ll tell you what, there’s some dudes that are making a lot of money. And again, not all of them are struggling. (Alabama quarterback) Bryce Young, even though they lost last night, he’s had a nice season. But you focus on the two guys in Spencer and D.J., and Graham Mertz and D’Eriq King, who aren’t necessarily out there crushing it and you’re like oh, as if every single NFL player that endorses a product has had an incredible season or never struggled. So, I think it’s going to be interesting to see now how companies … I was thinking about some of the people — there’s a restaurant that endorses Spencer, and you’re like so, how is that handled, what can they do. Well, nothing, they’re in. So, I can’t wait to kind of see how businesses and marketers react to this and if it gives them a little cause for pause in the future.”

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ESPN analyst: Not out of the question Clemson could finish as eight-win team

An ESPN analyst this week diagnosed the main problems he sees with Clemson’s offense. ESPN’s Tom Luginbill said he thinks the Tigers’ offensive issues start with two things, and then discussed the differences between Clemson quarterback D.J. …

An ESPN analyst this week diagnosed the main problems he sees with Clemson’s offense.

ESPN’s Tom Luginbill said he thinks the Tigers’ offensive issues start with two things, and then discussed the differences between Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and former Tiger signal-callers Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson.

“Offensive line and an innately inaccurate quarterback,” Luginbill said on the “In My Opinion with Denton Day” podcast when asked what the problems with Clemson are. “Number one, it’s tough to play with people in your face, it’s tough to play when you’re constantly under assault. I get that.

“But the difference between Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence is those guys were just accurate guys, threw catchable balls, could throw balls under duress, didn’t miss open players, put the ball in a position where guys could make an easy transition. That’s not what D.J. Uiagalelei is right now. You add that to poor pass protection, a lack of any semblance of a run game, and that’s the beginning and the end of all of their problems.”

Luginbill added he believes there has been a “trickle-down effect” from the adversity the Tigers have faced and the negativity that has surrounded them thus far this season.

“They’ve got good athletes. We know that,” he said. “But for the first time in probably a decade, this is a team that is struggling because it’s not easy. We become conditioned to think it’s going to be easy each and every week and it’s not, and the moment a team like this that’s been so successful starts to struggle, then it becomes magnified because we don’t see it very often, and then the negativity starts swirling around and there’s a trickle-down effect from this. But I don’t think Clemson goes anywhere until they get that part of their offensive production vastly improved.”

Looking at the Tigers, Luginbill doesn’t think it’s out of the question that Clemson (2-2, 1-1 ACC) could finish the 2021 season as an eight-win team.

“Let’s not forget, look at the rest of the schedule – they’ve got Wake, they’ve got BC,” he said. “Is it out of the realm of possibility that we could be looking at an 8-4 team here? I don’t think it is.”

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ESPN analyst says Clemson’s OL is ‘in serious trouble’

An ESPN analyst is very concerned about Clemson’s offensive line after the Tigers allowed seven sacks during their 10-3 loss to Georgia on Saturday in Charlotte. ESPN’s Tom Luginbill joined The Paul Finebaum Show this week to discuss the fallout …

An ESPN analyst is very concerned about Clemson’s offensive line after the Tigers allowed seven sacks during their 10-3 loss to Georgia on Saturday in Charlotte.

ESPN’s Tom Luginbill joined The Paul Finebaum Show this week to discuss the fallout from the Clemson-UGA game and believes the Tigers’ offense will continue to struggle if the offensive line can’t sort out its issues.

“Clemson’s offensive line is in serious trouble,” Luginbill said. “And if you actually studied Clemson and you went back to last year and you watched them the last four or five weeks of the season, they were not very good up front. I would say they were below average. And you couple that issue with the fact that you’re breaking in a true freshman tailback (Will Shipley), you’re having to replace Amari Rodgers, replace Travis Etienne, replace Trevor Lawrence. You’ve got these wide receivers that are coming back to you, but they’re not seasoned yet. They may be talented.”

Luginbill added he thinks D.J. Uiagalelei isn’t quite as accurate of a passer as both Trevor Lawrence or Deshaun Watson were, and that only adds to Clemson’s problems offensively.

“In my opinion — and again, not to make a knee-jerk reaction, but I’m going back a little ways, I’m going back to high school here with D.J. — D.J.’s not the same innately accurate passer that either Trevor Lawrence or Deshaun Watson was,” Luginbill said. “That’s plain and simple. So, you add problems up front to a guy that’s not innately accurate, then you’re going to have some problems. And defensively might be able to carry them, but until they get that offensive line fixed, you’re going to continue to see some struggles out of the Clemson offense.”

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ESPN analysts give their biggest questions for Clemson, UGA entering matchup

On ESPN’s College Football Live, a couple of ESPN analysts discussed the biggest questions they have concerning Clemson and Georgia heading into the top-five matchup between the third-ranked Tigers and No. 5 Bulldogs on Saturday in the Duke’s Mayo …

On ESPN’s College Football Live, a couple of ESPN analysts discussed the biggest questions they have concerning Clemson and Georgia heading into the top-five matchup between the third-ranked Tigers and No. 5 Bulldogs on Saturday in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ABC.

Here’s what ESPN analysts Tom Luginbill and Harry Lyles Jr. had to say about their biggest questions for Clemson and Georgia entering the Week 1 showdown:

Luginbill: “How will they hold up in the offensive line versus arguably one of the top one, two or three defensive front sevens in all of college football with the University of Georgia? I think as you watched Clemson unfold throughout the year a year ago, you started to realize they weren’t overly talented in the offensive line. I think Dabo’s had 69 players drafted during his tenure. Very few of those, I believe less than five, have actually been in the offensive line. They lose Jackson Carman. Your right tackle that’s slated to start for you is only about 6-foot-2. So, not only do you have to replace a Travis Etienne and his production, Amari Rodgers and his production — you’re getting Justyn Ross back — you’re replacing Trevor Lawrence. Can you hold up on offense up front so that you can give your quarterback time to gel, you can get some semblance of a run game going? I think the offensive line’s going to be the focal point of Clemson’s success or failures in this game.”

Lyles Jr.: “My big question here is was that Georgia offense that we saw the last four games of 2020 what they’re going to look like in 2021, or was that just some sort of a hot streak? Like, JT Daniels came in, and all year we knew that Georgia had weapons. They had the unfortunate optout of Jamie Newman right before the season started. They had Stetson Bennett. They now have JT Daniels, who when he came in threw for over 1,200 yards and completed about 68 percent of his passes, I think threw for 10 touchdowns and had two picks. So, if he’s able to have that kind of production this year, then this could potentially be one of those years where Georgia does live up to their expectations. I would like to see if hey, is that going to be the sort of hot streak that we saw … A lot of fans here in the state of Georgia like to compare the Bulldogs’ pain with the Falcons’ pain, right, where the Falcons got hot in 2016, made the Super Bowl, and I heard that they blew some sort of lead. So, is it going to be that kind of a hot streak, or is this Georgia team actually legit? Because they do have the weapons and it does appear that they have the quarterback now to get that done.”

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ESPN analysts excited to watch these two Tigers in 2021

On ESPN’s College Football Live this week, a couple of ESPN analysts discussed some players that fans should be on the lookout for and need to know as we begin the 2021 college football season. Tom Luginbill mentioned Clemson freshman running back …

On ESPN’s College Football Live this week, a couple of ESPN analysts discussed some players that fans should be on the lookout for and need to know as we begin the 2021 college football season.

Tom Luginbill mentioned Clemson freshman running back Will Shipley as one of the players to watch.

“You’ve got to replace Travis Etienne at Clemson, right,” Luginbill said. “Look no further than the true freshman in Will Shipley. Maybe he’s not the starter initially. He’s going to be in the rotation, I think becomes a starter and I also think he could be a difference-maker as a punt and returner, and also every bit of the receiving target that Travis Etienne was during his career.”

Meanwhile, former Texas and NFL linebacker Sam Acho, now working with ESPN as a college football and NFL analyst, singled out Clemson sophomore defensive lineman Bryan Bresee as one of the players he is excited to watch.

“This dude is a baller,” Acho said. “He’s 6-5, he’s 290 and he’s a beast. Like, you should be scared of No. 11 for Clemson. Yes, he was a freshman last year. He’s a sophomore, he’s older, he’s more mature. He’s a beast.”

Bresee, the former No. 1 recruit in the country, burst onto the scene as a Freshman All-American in 2020 when he became the second ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in Clemson history, joining Dexter Lawrence (2016). The Damascus, Md., native enters 2021 credited with 33 tackles (6.5 for loss), 4.0 sacks, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a safety over 12 games (10 starts).

Shipley, a former five-star recruit ranked as the nation’s No. 1 all-purpose back in the 2021 class, rushed for 4,173 yards and racked up 1,411 receiving yards to go with 80 total touchdowns in his three-year high school career at Weddington High School (Matthews, N.C.).

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One ESPN writer says Ty Thompson is a freshman All-American

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren says Oregon’s Ty Thompson is his Freshman All-American at quarterback.

In an ESPN+ article, college football writers Tom Luginbill and Tom VanHaaren selected their freshmen All-Americans at each position for the 2021 season and just one Duck managed to get mentioned and it’s probably not the one most expected.

According to VanHaaren, Oregon freshman quarterback Ty Thompson is his pick to be an All-American, despite all indications he’s going to be Anthony Brown’s back-up. This is what the ESPN scribe had to say about Thompson.

This one was probably the most difficult position to gauge because there is really good depth across the board. Thompson is probably behind Boston College transfer Anthony Brown, but maybe that changes with fall camp. Thompson had a really good scrimmage for the Ducks recently but has some competition to get to the front of the line. He might not win the starting job, but if he keeps progressing and getting better, there’s a chance he makes an impact.

Luginbill chose Notre Dame’s Tyler Buchner as his top freshman signal-caller, but it’s an interesting analysis on Thompson. While the second scrimmage was closed off to the fans and the media, a general consensus is that Thompson made huge strides and has actually turned the starting quarterback job into a legitimate competition.

With the Fresno State game just 11 days aways, Thompson can still shock the world by claiming the starting nod over Brown. But it would be a shock, especially with Ohio State looming at Week 2.

Thompson would have to be extraordinary in the coming days in order for Mario Cristobal and Joe Moorhead to have enough confidence in the true freshman to go into Columbus and lead the Ducks to victory. But it’s almost a given Thompson will see the field against the Bulldogs in the season opener and how he performs against a live defense in front of a full Autzen crowd of 57,000 will go a long way into making that choice.

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ESPN analyst makes prediction for ACC Championship Game

Everyone expects Clemson to make its seventh straight appearance in the ACC Championship Game and represent the Atlantic Division once again this season. But the question is who will oppose the Tigers for the conference crown, with North Carolina …

Everyone expects Clemson to make its seventh straight appearance in the ACC Championship Game and represent the Atlantic Division once again this season.

But the question is who will oppose the Tigers for the conference crown, with North Carolina and Miami the preseason favorites to come out of the Coastal Division.

ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill was a guest on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain and made his prediction for who he thinks will square off in the conference title game.

“I’m gonna go with Clemson and Miami,” Luginbill said.

Miami finished the 2020 season 8-3 (7-2 ACC), with its losses coming at Clemson (42-17 on Oct. 10), vs. North Carolina (62-26 on Dec. 12) and to Oklahoma State (37-34 in the Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 29).

With Miami returning quarterback D’Eriq King, and a bunch of other starters back as well, the Hurricanes hope to make a run at their first ACC Coastal division title since 2017.

“I think they’ve got the components, especially in that side of the division, to take the next step,” Luginbill said. “I mean, I really do. You look at that division, you’ve got some rebuilds still occurring. You’ve got a bit of a reloading Pitt. You’ve got Georgia Tech, which is getting better, but they’re not there yet. And we still haven’t had the matchup that the whole entire league’s split into divisions for, and that’s Florida State and Miami, and that’s not happening anytime soon. So, I’ll go with the safe bets here in July.”

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