It’s bowl season, which is almost bittersweet in the college football world. It’s the last time you see your favorite team or alma mater play for nearly nine months, but at least you get to watch them one more time. For the 8-4 Clemson Tigers, some projections have been made, but nothing official has been made yet.
But that’s not the point today.
I’ve been saying this on our “Around the Paw” podcast, as well as publicly, that Clemson is going to need to finish this season on a high to gain momentum for next season. With plenty of players entering the transfer portal, going to the draft, or simply sitting out of the bowl game from an injury, perhaps their final game could tell us the most about this team going forward. Yes, you are bringing in incredibly talented freshmen to join the supporting cast, but what should you do on each side of the ball?
Here are my thoughts.
Offense
Not much is changing on the offense, or is it?
With what we know so far, there are a couple of departures on the offensive side so far. Beaux Collins, Mitchell Mayes, Hunter Helms, and Sage Ennis will not be with Clemson next season through the transfer portal. Those guys will be instantly out for the bowl game. While players like Will Putnam will be out of eligibility.
There is also a question mark with the seniors who still have eligibility or some who might move to the NFL Draft. Those include guys like Will Shipley (draft/graduation), Phil Mafah (draft, potentially), Trent Howard (graduation), and plenty of others who have not declared whether or not they are returning to Clemson or moving on to a future endeavor.
At quarterback, it should remain the same with Cade Klubnik. There have been talks about playing backups Paul Tyson and Christopher Vizzina, but I think Klubnik should play for a majority, if not all, of the bowl game. With the pieces leaving and the players he still has, it is important to continue to generate chemistry, as well as get him comfortable with his receivers.
Running back is where things get interesting. It could be Shipley or Mafah if they decide to return. But if both decide to leave, who’s next?
Next on the depth chart would be redshirt junior Domonique Thomas, who has rushed for 116 yards on the season and one touchdown. Keith Adams Jr. could be another who gets a high increase in touches, or even Jay Haynes, who scored two touchdowns against Charleston Southern in the second game of the season.
The receivers should stay the same as well, depending on transfers of course. Tyler Brown headlines this room now with the loss of Collins, with younger players potentially being the X-factor in this game. Troy Stellato and Adam Randall should be there as well unless there are problems with the transfer portal that arise, by which this time in the college football world, I would not be surprised. Antonio Williams could be back, which could be huge for Klubnik to get back into the swing of things. Look for freshmen Ronan Hanafin and Noble Johnson to get an increased amount of snaps as well.
Tight ends should stay the same, with Briningstool being the TE1 with Josh Sapp playing behind him.
The offensive line could look different depending on who holds out or who decides to go to the draft (which would probably only be Putnam), but the offensive line has shuffled plenty throughout this season. We will be without Mayes, but the line should look similar to what we have seen before, with Collin Sadler and Blake Miller on the ends, Sewell and Leigh as the guards, and either Putnam or Ryan Linthicum, depending on if Putnam stays for his final game.
Defense/Special Teams
Here’s where things get interesting.
With plenty of defenders planning to graduate or attend the draft, it gets tougher to see who is going to play where.
Let’s start with the defensive line, who are losing… a lot. Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro will be gone, as they are going to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. However, the Tigers will bring back Xavier Thomas for his last dance, where he will play his final game after six seasons in Death Valley. Justin Mascoll is a question mark, but we will find out more in the upcoming days.
In Davis and Ruke’s place? Enter DeMonte Capehart, Peter Woods, and T.J. Parker, who will most likely join Thomas on the line. Payton Page could be another who gets a large amount of snaps at the defensive tackle position. I could also see A.J. Hoffler being another young player who could come off the bench and play a lot more snaps if Mascoll does not play.
Linebacker is certainly interesting as well, as we do not know the status of LB Barrett Carter. Depending on if he stays or goes, that will be important to know. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is gone to the NFL Draft, so that spot is open to take. Wade Woodaz should be back though. I see Kobe McCloud and Dee Crayton getting huge upgrades in this game, depending on if Carter does not play, they could be the two guys at the linebacker position. This is a huge “prove it” moment for these two, with a wide open spot to take with the absence of Trotter, and potentially Carter, whoever takes it will sure have a lot of eyes on them next season.
The secondary continues the trend of being curious to look at. Off the bat, no Nate Wiggins, he is going to the draft. Avieon Terrell is the first guy that should have a spot as a starting CB, and a mixture of Shelton Lewis and Jaedyn Lukus should remain as the usual suspects in the secondary, as long as injuries permit. Whether Sheridan Jones plays, however, is questionable as well.
The safeties should remain the same with Khalil Barnes, Andrew Mukuba, and R.J. Mickens. If anyone changes, it would be Mukuba, who I could see going to the NFL Draft for sure. If any of those players leave, Kylon Griffin and Jalyn Phillips should be there, especially Phillips, who could have the chance to play his final game for Clemson. Tyler Venables is a wild card, if healthy, he could make his first few defensive snaps for Clemson before next season when he will be back.
Special teams will look the same with Swanson and Weitz doing most of the kicker duties. I’m interested in seeing if Robert Gunn III gets another shot at hitting field goals to get a better feel for game-time situations, but Weitz could get his curtain call.
Regardless of who plays, a bowl game like this is important for Clemson, as head coach Dabo Swinney can figure out what to improve on if he does decide to move to the transfer portal or how the incoming freshmen class can fill in.
