Position battles to watch |
David Hood
· · Sunday, July 31 2011
CLEMSON – The temperatures are sweltering and the mid-summer sun beats down relentlessly on Clemson each day of the week.
Yes, that means that school is getting to start back, and people are taking their last-second vacations. But that also means that football is back, and it’s time to put the talk of NCAA violations, immodest coaches, the nation’s mounting debt and the major league baseball trading deadline on the backburner for a while. College football practice begins this week, and Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers will once again return to the practice fields behind Jervey as they begin preparation for the 2011 season. Practice begins on Friday, and even though the temperatures are blazing right now, the competition for some of the spots on the Tiger football team will be just as hot. Swinney has said that as many as 24 or 25 redshirt freshmen and true freshmen will be battling for jobs, creating the kind of environment of true competition that Clemson hasn’t seen for a while. The following are some of the position battles that TigerNet will be keeping a close eye on, starting Friday. OFFENSIVE LINE – There are several battles to watch within the offensive line. Starters are set at left guard [David Smith Offensive Line #73 6-5, 315 Greenville, SC View Full Profile], center [Dalton Freeman Offensive Line #55 6-5, 285 Pelion, SC View Full Profile], right guard [Antoine McClain Offensive Line #74 6-5, 330 Anniston, AL View Full Profile] and right tackle [Landon Walker Offensive Line #72 6-6, 310 North Wilkesboro, NC View Full Profile]. Fifth-year senior Phillip Price Offensive Line #79 6-5, 300 Dillon, SC View Full Profile, a 6-5, 300-pounder left spring camp with the starting nod at left tackle, but he will be pushed by sophomore Brandon Thomas Offensive Line #63 6-4, 300 Spartanburg, SC View Full Profile. Price played just 98 snaps last season, while Thomas, backing up former starter Chris Hairston Offensive Line #61 6-7, 325 Winston-Salem, NC View Full Profile, was on the field for 136 snaps. New line coach Robbie Caldwell is also going to have to spend a good deal of camp trying to find depth with his unit. Mason Cloy Offensive Line #62 6-3, 295 Columbia, SC View Full Profile is a former starter and a reliable backup at center or guard, and the loser of the left tackle battle will be able to provide depth at either guard or tackle. That leaves the unproven Kalon Davis Offensive Line #67 6-4, 345 Chester, SC View Full Profile [left guard], Matt Sanders Offensive Line #54 6-6, 320 Crestview, FL View Full Profile [right guard] and Gifford Timothy Offensive Line #70 6-6, 335 Middletown, DE View Full Profile [right tackle] to all prove they have what it takes to play. David Beasley Offensive Line #68 6-4, 325 Columbus, GA View Full Profile and Reid Webster Offensive Line #77 6-4, 290 Woodstock, GA View Full Profile could also push for playing time, and out of the incoming freshmen, Spencer Region Offensive Line # 6-6, 330 Cullman, AL View Full Profile looks the most ready to play. DEFENSIVE TACKLE – The defensive end rotation seems set with Andre Branch Defensive End #40 6-5, 260 Richmond, VA View Full Profile and Malliciah Goodman Defensive End #97 6-4, 265 Florence, SC View Full Profile listed as starters and Kourtnei Brown Defensive End #90 6-5, 250 Charlotte, NC View Full Profile and Corey Crawford Defensive Line #93 6-5, 275 Chatham, VA View Full Profile listed as their valuable backups. The starting spots at the defensive tackle spots are also set, with seniors Brandon Thompson Defensive Tackle #98 6-2, 310 Thomasville, GA View Full Profile and Rennie Moore Defensive Tackle #94 6-4, 270 Saint Marys, GA View Full Profile. The intriguing battle here, however, involves Moore and the depth behind him. Moore is a high-energy guy that moved to tackle from end last year, but Moore is more of pass-rushing specialist than a run-stuffer. At just over 270 pounds, he lacks the size that Jarvis Jenkins Defensive Tackle #99 6-4, 315 Clemson, SC View Full Profile brought to the middle last season, and that has led to speculation that if teams are running the ball successfully against the Tigers, defensive coordinator Kevin Steele could move to a 3-4 defense, with Thompson manning the middle. That opens the door for redshirt freshman Tavaris Barnes Defensive End #6 6-3, 265 Jacksonville, FL View Full Profile, but he also moved over from end and ended the spring at just 265. Tyler Shatley Defensive Tackle #43 6-3, 295 Icard, NC View Full Profile (295) and Josh Watson Defensive Tackle #91 6-4, 270 Wilmington, DE View Full Profile (270) are also going to push for playing time, and Shatley has the size to be a force. The lack of depth at the tackle spot also means that freshmen DeShawn Williams Defensive Line # 6-1, 295 Central, SC View Full Profile and Grady Jarrett Defensive Line # 6-2, 282 Conyers, GA View Full Profile might avoid redshirts. It will be interesting to see who ends up where on the depth as September approaches. RUNNING BACK – A healthy Andre Ellington Running Back #23 5-10, 190 Moncks Corner, SC View Full Profile is the starter at running back, but who backs him up will certainly be of concern to Clemson coaches and fans alike. Roderick McDowell Running Back #25 5-9, 185 Sumter, SC View Full Profile is the lone returnee with experience, finishing 2010 as the team’s third-leading rusher after a 32-carry, 160-yard campaign. But he was pushed in the spring by redshirt freshmen Demont Buice Running Back #24 6-0, 220 Gadsden, AL View Full Profile and D.J. Howard Running Back #22 5-11, 190 Lincoln, AL View Full Profile. The spring game did nothing to sort the three out, either. McDowell finished with 12 carries for 100 yards, Howard was 11-for-97 and Buice was 18-for-102. Look for Buice to settle into more of a short-yardage role, however, as the coaches try to take advantage of his 225-pound frame. Add in highly-touted true freshman Mike Bellamy Running Back # 5-10, 187 Punta Gorda, FL View Full Profile, and offensive coordinator Chad Morris has a lot to choose from behind Ellington. Again, the next 29 practices should determine a true pecking order, but Morris has already said that he plans to use all his backs. LINEBACKER – Upside versus experience. That small phrase captures perfectly the battles that will be occurring at linebacker this August. The Tigers brought in two 5-star recruits in Stephone Anthony Linebacker # 6-2, 220 Wadesboro, NC View Full Profile and Tony Steward Linebacker # 6-2, 225 St. Augustine, FL View Full Profile, and two others in Lateek Townsend Linebacker # 6-2, 197 Bennettsville, SC View Full Profile and B.J. Goodson Linebacker # 6-1, 215 Lamar, SC View Full Profile that are almost as talented. Trying to hold down their starting positions are Corico Hawkins Linebacker #42 5-11, 230 Milledgeville, GA View Full Profile, Tig Willard and Quandon Christian Linebacker #34 6-3, 215 Lake View, SC View Full Profile, while 2010 reserves Justin Parker Linebacker #8 6-1, 225 Port Royal, SC View Full Profile and Daniel Andrews Linebacker #41 5-11, 190 Jacksonville, FL View Full Profile try to hold off the new guys plus redshirt freshman Vic Beasley Tight End #3 6-2, 225 Adairsville, GA Junior Corico Hawkins started last season and ranked third on the team in tackles (71) and second in tackles for loss (10), but a healthy Steward will push for playing time immediately. Steward has talent, size and attitude, a must-have trifecta for a championship-caliber middle linebacker. An early prediction says that experience wins out in the short run, but upside takes over before too long. WIDE RECEIVER – Morris has been critical of his returning receivers in the preseason, including questioning the dedication and work ethic of a few. The one thing a veteran doesn’t need is a coach questioning his resolve, especially with so many talented newcomers taking the field Thursday. Jaron Brown Wide Receiver #18 6-2, 200 Cheraw, SC View Full Profile and DeAndre Hopkins Wide Receiver #6 6-1, 195 Central, SC View Full Profile have fairly solid holds at their spots for now, but Bryce McNeal Wide Receiver #7 6-1, 180 Minneapolis, MN View Full Profile and Marquan Jones Wide Receiver #26 6-0, 195 Columbia, SC View Full Profile will be challenged for the slot position from day one by Sammy Watkins Wide Receiver # 6-2, 200 Fort Myers, FL View Full Profile. Watkins has that special blend of size (6-1, 190), speed [a spectacular 4.3 40 time], footwork and hands that could make him a starter against Troy. Brown made some big plays in 2010, but he still finished with just 35 receptions in 13 games, for 435 yards and four scores. Newcomers Charone Peake Wide Receiver # 6-4, 210 Roebuck, SC View Full Profile and Martavis Bryant Wide Receiver # 6-4, 195 Anderson, SC View Full Profile are both tall and talented, and Bryant possesses the kind of breakaway speed that coaches drool over. Brown has to have the camp of his life to hold these two off. KICKER - A year ago, Christ Church’s Chandler Catanzaro Punter / Kicker #39 6-2, 205 Greenville, SC View Full Profile burst onto the scene in fall camp and took over the kicking duties, winning the job over senior Richard Jackson Punter / Kicker #19 6-0, 195 Greer, SC View Full Profile and sophomore Spencer Benton Punter / Kicker #13 6-2, 195 Myrtle Beach, SC View Full Profile. Catanzaro made a respectable 14-of-22 kicks in 2010, but it was the misses and when they occurred that drew the most attention. A missed 32-yarder in a three point loss at Auburn; two missed field goals (44 and 36 yards) in a six-point loss at Boston College; and two missed field goals (34, 38) in a three-point loss at Florida St. This season, Benton will most likely handle the kickoff duties, leaving Catanzaro [who did make all 34 of his PAT attempts] to battle freshman kicker Ammon Lakip Punter / Kicker # 5-11, 175 Alpharetta, GA View Full Profile for the starting job. Catanzaro has said he made a few small tweaks to his kicking motion, and feels confident he can be the same kicker that won the starting job this time last year, but once again he will have to go out and prove it to the coaches.
David Smith
Dalton Freeman
Antoine McClain
Landon Walker
Phillip Price
Brandon Thomas
Chris Hairston
Mason Cloy
Kalon Davis
Matt Sanders
Gifford Timothy
David Beasley
Reid Webster
Spencer Region
Andre Branch
Malliciah Goodman
Kourtnei Brown
Corey Crawford
Brandon Thompson
Rennie Moore
Jarvis Jenkins
Tavaris Barnes
Tyler Shatley
Josh WatsonDeShawn Williams
Grady Jarrett
Andre Ellington
Roderick McDowell
Demont Buice
D.J. Howard
Mike Bellamy
Stephone Anthony
Tony Steward
Lateek Townsend
B.J. GoodsonCorico Hawkins
Quandon Christian
Justin Parker
Daniel Andrews
Vic Beasley
Jaron Brown
DeAndre Hopkins
Bryce McNeal
Marquan Jones
Sammy Watkins
Charone Peake
Martavis Bryant
Chandler Catanzaro
Richard Jackson
Spencer Benton
Ammon Lakip
Upgrade Your Experience!
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now!
