Clemson coordinators confident in across-the-board offensive depth

Lost in the losses on defense lately, Clemson’s offensive staff is very confident in the depth across the board on their side of the ball.

And that seems odd to say, especially on the O-line, where the Tigers lose four starters and 3,200-plus career snaps. Clemson co-OC Jeff Scott is undaunted.

“We feel very good with the starting group,” he said. “To be honest, the best thing is we haven’t noticed them. As we’ve kinda gone through the last week or so, the guys have got a good chemistry and I think everybody knows what they are and what their job is so we fully expect that first group to be able to go out there and execute and what we’re excited about is we think we have five guys behind them.

“We really think we have 10 guys that can go play. I don’t know how many years you’d have to go back, but of recent (seasons), I don’t think we felt like we had 10 guys going into the season who can go in and operate and go in and play.

“We’re pleased with the progress since the spring and where we’ve come since the first week and a half of fall camp.”

Tony Elliott credited the freshmen enrollees, such as top-100 prospects Mitch Hyatt and Jake Fruhmorgen, for adding another element to that group.

“They’ve brought a different mindset,” Elliott said. “We’re talking about Mitch Hyatt, whose uncle played here and grew up around the game. We’re talking about Jake, whose dad played in the NFL and University of Alabama. Noah (Green) is a local guy that’s very, very serious about football and then you have Zach Giella coming in. Those guys have really upped the level of preparation and just the culture in that room – the nastiness and toughness you’d expect out of offensive linemen.

“It’s important to them. Robbie (Caldwell) has done a really good job of giving those guys an opportunity to go compete and really change that environment in that room.”

More of a known factor is the receiver corps, where Scott says they are still “seven to eight” men deep. Four freshmen make up that group in five-stars Deon Cain and Ray-Ray McCloud, as well as redshirt Trevion Thompson and former walk-on Hunter Renfrow.

“A lot of that is going to depend on the freshmen and how they do,” Scott said. “It’s different in practice and games and getting out there. That’s something we’re going to throw them out there and see how they react. If they come on like we think they will and Hunter Renfrow plays in the game like he’s consistently done in practice – we feel like we’ll have seven or eight guys that can roll and play.

“That will help us as the season goes and allow us to play fast because we can substitute guys in and keep the pressure on the defense.”

Depth at tight end is no shocker with the number of bodies there now, but the emergence of summer enrollee Garrett Williams gives the Tigers one more option – a versatile threat who’s moved into the top-four on the depth chart.

“Garrett isn’t the only of those guys that’s played well,” Elliott said. “We’ve seen Cannon Smith, Milan (Richard), and Jordan Leggett is a guy that’s really made a lot of strides of where he’s come from.

“There’s nothing like competition. The guy who’s playing the best will get an opportunity to go out and play.”