2011 Clemson Tigers Football Preview

Few teams have done less with such abundant talent on hand than Clemson has in the past three seasons. Under head coach Dabo Swinney, Clemson has one division title to show for a series of teams loaded with NFL talent. Still, there is optimism that Swinney is aware that patience is wearing thin and he’s taking drastic measures to ensure he’s getting the most out of his talent. In the offseason, Swinney overhauled the offensive staff, bringing in former Tulsa offensive coordinator Chad Morris to lead the offense. Morris is a proponent of a very fast-paced, no-huddle offense that wore the scoreboard out at Tulsa. Swinney hopes that with the talent on hand and the new offensive philosophy, the Tigers can live up to their enormous potential and be contenders for the ACC title again.

Clemson has as much talent, if not more, at the skill positions than any other team in the ACC. While the offense has sputtered over the previous three seasons, recruiting for the skill positions has not. Kyle Parker is gone at quarterback, but Clemson will turn to big sophomore Tajh Boyd to run the offense. Boyd is a big quarterback at 230 pounds, but he has good mobility and a very strong arm. He should flourish in Morris’ offense. Andre Ellington returns and will be the premier ball-carrier, at least early on. Freshman Mike Bellamy was one of the nation’s most sought after recruits and will see the field immediately. At receiver, the Tigers return Bryce McNeal, DeAndre Hopkins, and tight end Dwayne Allen. As with running back, true freshman Sammy Watkins, who enrolled in January, won’t be denied playing time and could be the team’s next great deep threat. As long as Boyd can get the basics of Morris’ offense down and avoid crippling mistakes, the Tigers should be able to score on anyone.

The Clemson skill positions should be dominant because four of five offensive linemen return, three of which are seniors. The right side of the line returns intact led by Landon Walker and Antoine McClain. The offensive line is asked to do a lot in the no-huddle offense and they’ll be forced to be at their best physical shape to match up with some of the elite defenses they’ll face in 2011. Still, even with the offense being so up tempo and pass friendly, Morris won’t shy away from pounding the ball if he can. With this offensive line, he should be able to.

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While the offensive picture is exciting, the defensive picture is much bleaker. After relying on an array of talented defensive linemen to control the line of scrimmage, the defense now returns just five starters and just one defensive lineman. Brandon Thompson is a big interior lineman, but he so often benefited from the offense’s tendencies to overcompensate for the Tigers’ great pass rushing ends. Andre Branch is hoping to be that next great pass rushing end. If he is, the Tigers will perhaps be better off up front than first feared.

The linebackers and secondary will be equally as green, but there is talent to work with. Corico Hawkins will anchor the linebacking corps and is the team’s leading returning tackler. After that, the position remains undecided. Stephone Anthony is a blue-chip recruit that could start from day one at outside linebacker. With so many questions along the defensive line as well, it could be a rough year on the Tigers’ young linebacker corps. The secondary, on the other hand, returns two of four starters led by Rashard Hall and Xavier Brewer. There will also be opportunities for talented freshmen to see early playing time there as well.

The schedule is primed for an improvement of 2010. Tune-ups with Troy and Wofford will give Boyd and company a chance to get comfortable in the offense before Auburn visits Death Death Valley. Games against Auburn, Florida State, and Virginia Tech in consecutive weeks will determine if 2011 is a championship season or just another good one. If they exit that stretch winning two out of three, they could find themselves in the ACC title game once again. The conference schedule is manageable after that, but rival South Carolina will be a bear this year. The Tigers close the season in Columbia in what will be a very difficult rivalry game to win.