Five things to watch as Clemson kicks off spring football practices
Clemson begins spring practice Wednesday, coming off a relatively average 10-3 season for the program in 2021.
Plenty will be revealed over the next month-plus as the group looks to improve with the 2022 campaign six months away. The Tigers will get an early look at what they have at the spring game on April 9. Until then, here are five things to watch during spring practices:
Bryan Bresee back in action?
As strong as Clemson’s defensive line was last season, it was missing Bryan Bresee, who tore his ACL four games into 2021 and totaled 15 tackles, three for loss, and 1.5 quarterback sacks in that time. Tyler Davis and Tre Williams, both of whom had their own battle wounds during the year, as well as Etinosa Reuben had starting opportunities to fill in for Bresee. Davis, who missed five games with a bicep injury, had four starts and 27 tackles.
A recent tweet from Bresee running in the Tigers’ indoor facility showed promise in regards to his recovery timeline. With him potentially being back for spring, Clemson’s depth within the defensive line improves significantly.
Quarterback battle
Sophomore quarterback DJ Uiagalelei’s struggles were well-noted throughout the year. Though he had better showings closer to the end while battling through a PCL injury, he threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9) in 2021.
Backup quarterback Taisun Phommachanh entered the transfer portal, but Clemson added five-star Cade Klubnik, the top-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2022, as a midyear enrollee. He arrived in January and will have a chance to take reps and compete this spring. Whether or not that means he’ll be the starter in the fall has yet to be determined, but he can use the next couple months to make a case.
Back to Beaux time
Beaux Collins wasn’t expecting to get as much playing time as he did as a freshman, yet here we are. The Southern California native quickly became one of Uiagalelei’s favorite targets — the two playing at St. John Bosco High School together — and tied with Justyn Ross and Davis Allen for most receiving touchdowns (3). He’s the second-leading returning receiver behind Joseph Ngata with 407 yards, which included two 100-yard receiving games against Louisville and Wake Forest.
Because of Clemson’s lack of vocal leadership, Collins had a chance to be one of those leaders as a freshman. While things might not have always been the easiest, the sped-up maturation serves as a benefit coming into Year 2 for the Tigers.
Stabilizing the O-line
Clemson’s offensive line became the personification of Murphy’s law. Between injuries, Paul Tchio transferring out and trying to find a front five starting combination that worked — there were eight total combos in 13 games — the group never seemed to find consistency and continuity at the same time.
The O-line was dealt another blow recently when Hunter Rayburn had to retire from football due to medical reasons. One good part is the Tigers will get back starters Jordan McFadden and Walker Parks. Dietrick Pennington and John Williams both suffered season-ending injuries early in 2021 and are expected to be full go along with Ryan Linthicum and former five-star prospect Tristan Leigh, both of whom redshirted last season.
Adding Collin Sadler and Blake Miller as midyear enrollees from the Class of 2022 also helps. Depth issues on the line give the two incoming freshmen a chance of seeing the field sooner than later.
Stepping up on defense
While the Tigers’ defensive line gets everyone back, there will be holes to fill everywhere else on that side of the ball. Clemson lost cornerbacks Andrew Booth and Mario Goodrich, safety Nolan Turner and “Bruise Brothers” linebackers James Skalski and Baylon Spector.
Presumably, these roles will be filled by veteran players. Sheridan Jones, for one, filled in for Booth when he was injured last year and is primed to take over one of the starting corner spots. Nate Wiggins made a positive impression in his collegiate debut and has a chance to fill the other spot, as could juniors Malcolm Greene and Fred Davis.
Tyler Venables, Jalyn Phillips and Lannden Zanders are all options to replace Turner. Zanders is returning from a season-ending shoulder injury. Phillips can also be Spector’s replacement, having started four games last year — once in place of Spector and three times for Turner, including the Cheez-It Bowl.
The linebacker spot would appear to be a more wide-open battle this spring, though LaVonta Bentley and Keith Maguire made the most of their opportunities last year. Bentley filled in for Spector twice and capped off the year with five tackles against Iowa State in the bowl game.
Clemson football spring practice: 5 key dates
- Wednesday: Spring practice begins
- March 16: First scrimmage
- March 17: On-campus pro day
- March 30: Second scrimmage
- April 9: Spring game, 1 p.m.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 12:00 AM.
