Five things to watch as Clemson begins preseason camp

Clemson football begins preseason camp Friday, and again there are high expectations for the upcoming season. The Tigers are coming off of a third consecutive ACC championship and College Football Playoff berth and return several starters on both sides of the ball.

Here are five storylines to watch in the next few weeks:

Who starts at linebacker?

A lot has been made about Clemson’s defensive line returning all four starters, but don’t sleep on the Tigers’ linebacker group. Clemson is deep and talented, led by preseason All-ACC selection Kendall Joseph. Isaiah Simmons and Jalen Williams will battle for the SAM spot, Joseph will start at either MIKE or WILL and Tre Lamar, Chad Smith, J.D. Davis and James Skalski will battle for the other starting job.

Who emerges at wide receiver?

This could be the deepest receiving corps Clemson has had in years, but it is also the most unproven Jeff Scott has had in some time. Other than preseason All-ACC selection Hunter Renfrow, no returning receiver caught 20 passes last year. Tee Higgins, Amari Rodgers, Trevion Thompson, Diondre Overton and others are all capable, but they will have to go prove that they are reliable on the practice field and during games.

The quarterback battle

This is the competition that will get the most attention during preseason camp. There was not much separation between Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence after spring practice, and whichever quarterback improved the most this summer and plays the best during the preseason will be the starter for Game 1.

Can anyone separate at tight end?

Milan Richard and Garrett Williams are listed as co-starters on the preseason depth chart after both impressed during the spring. Richard was solid in his first year as a starter in 2017, while Williams was, arguably, the best tight end during the spring after bouncing back from a torn ACL that cost him last year. Cannon Smith and J.C. Chalk are back and will provide depth, and the staff loves the potential of freshman Braden Galloway.

Travis Etienne or Tavien Feaster, who’s the starter?

Tavien Feaster took over Clemson’s starting running back job early in the 2017 season and performed well. He remained the starter throughout the spring before being passed by Travis Etienne on the preseason depth chart. Etienne was one of the most explosive freshmen in the country last season, but Feaster is not going to give up his starting job without a fight. He cut weight during the summer and is in the best shape he has been in since arriving at Clemson. The battle between Etienne and Feaster will be fun to watch, while senior Adam Choice could also get into the mix.