2013 Clemson Spring Football Analysis

Clemson Tigers 2013 ... Head Coach: Dabo Swinney

Clemson Tigers

2013 Schedule
8/31 Georgia
9/7 South Carolina St
9/14 OPEN DATE
9/19 at NC State
9/28 Wake Forest
10/5 at Syracuse
10/12 Boston College
10/19 Florida State
10/26 at Maryland
11/2 at Virginia
11/9 OPEN DATE
11/14 Georgia Tech
11/23 Citadel
11/30 at South Carolina

Why To Get Excited … Once Heisman-contending QB Tajh Boyd announced he was returning to school, the Tigers were instantly stamped the favorite to win the ACC. Clemson is coming off its fourth 11-win season ever and a stirring defeat of LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Head coach Dabo Swinney has the program chugging in the right direction.

Why To Be Grouchy … the D made strides in Brent Venables’ first year as coordinator, but more progress is needed in 2013. The staff is particularly concerned about a secondary that gave up too many long balls last fall, and now must insert three new starters into the lineup. Rookies, such as recent blue-chip recruit Mackensie Alexander could be forced to play right away.

The Number One Thing To Work On Is … protecting the quarterback. Boyd will be Boyd, but only if he has time to locate open receivers. The Tigers were 85th nationally in sacks allowed a year ago, and the anchor of the line, C Dalton Freeman, has used up all of his eligibility.

Team Concerns For 2013: Defensive backs. The Tiger secondary wasn't anything special last season, and now it has to replace three starters and could use more options. The offensive line need a few more options to develop for the near future - the pass protection has to be stronger. The Tigers need to improve on special teams with one of the ACC's worst punt return games and mediocre kickoff return production.

The 2013 Class Is Heavy On ... Linebackers. The running game is getting high-end help with backs Tyshon Dye and Wayne Gallman coming in, and Mike Williams is a fun receiver who could see time right away, but the Tigers are bringing in some phenomenal linebacker prospects. Ben Boulware will eventually be a star in the middle, while Jayron Kearse and Dorian O'Daniel are fast prospects for the outside. Defensive tackle Scott Pagano was an interesting pickup from Hawaii who has all the talent and potential to be the next great Tiger lineman.

2012 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 13. That Class Was Heavy On ... Lowered expectations. Head coach Dabo Swinney appears to be putting together another terrific class, but it’s asking for way too much to come up with an instant game-changer like Sammy Watkins. Even so, this receiving corps is about to get even better with a few good four-star types to be ready to roll when Watkins bolts for the NFL as soon as humanly possible. The defensive line will get the most attention and should be the strongest part of the haul. 

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 9. That Class Was Heavy On ... The passing game. After a few yeas of focusing mostly on the defense, the Tigers came up with something for the offense that struggled last year with three new quarterback prospects and several dangerous receivers with Sammy Watkins, a five-star talent with next-level upside, and Charone Peake and Martavis Bryant, two big, strong receivers who could be involved immediately. Eric MacLain is one of the nation’s top tight ends. Defensively, Corey Crawford isn’t Da’Quan Bowers, but he’s a pass rusher who might make some noise this year.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 21. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive backs. Dabo Swinney did a nice job loading up on defense, while also getting a few key pieces for the offense including receiver Martavis Bryant and tackle Reid Webster. Josh Watson and Corey Crawford should quickly become terrors for the defensive front, and Jake Nicolopulos Justin Parker will be key starters in the linebacking corps by 2012, but the strength is in the secondary where corners DeAndre Hopkins and Darius Robinson are speedy defenders with All-ACC potential. Bashaud Breeland is the key safety signing with excellent size and great range.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 45. That Class Was Heavy On ... ends. Even with Ricky Sapp and Da’Quan Bowers bringing quickness off the edge, Clemson had little luck getting to the quarterback in 2008. Malliciah Goodman and Spencer Shuey have been brought in to push the starters and kickstart a tired pass rush. Once he sharpens his fundamentals and adds a few more pounds, Goodman has the blazing speed and long arms to be a real nuisance to ACC quarterbacks.