The Clemson Tigers are the defending college football National Champions, but not many are giving them a realistic shot in 2017 — and that’s a big mistake
Seeing Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney celebrating with Deshaun Watson after having won a National Championship in January 2017 was something out of a storybook. It was the fiery leader, his steady protégé and a sea of bright orange that had been waiting on that very moment since the 1980s. And to have done it in the final seconds against the big bad, the Alabama Crimson Tide, only made it that much sweeter.
Those days are gone now. It’s a new season, the 2017 campaign now looming in the near future. What’s more, the Clemson Tigers of this season look very little like those that reached the pinnacle of the sport just over eight months ago. Watson is gone at quarterback, as are other weapons such as Artavis Scott, Mike Williams, Wayne Gallman and Jordan Leggett, to name a few.
Defensively, the losses keep coming for the Tigers. Losing Carlos Watkins on the front of their defense is a load that they have to replace. What’s more. having to replace Cordrea Tankersley in their secondary is no easy feat. And while Ben Boulware may not have the talent of his two defensive teammates, the void left by his leadership will surely be noticeable.
Subsequently, it’s perfectly reasonable to give Swinney and Clemson an excuse right from Jump Street. There’s just been too much turnover in terms of the roster for them to compete. Not only are they not going to go back-to-back as National Champions, they won’t even be in the national conversation. Hell, they’re not even the best team in the ACC Atlantic Division, much less the ACC as a whole or one of the best in the country.
Some of that is true. Coming into the season, it’d be unwise to argue that the Florida State Seminoles look more like National Championship contenders than do the Tigers. While that may be so, however, counting out the Tigers from the title conversation isn’t something everyone should be taking part in so prematurely.
Any argument in this regard begins with the man wearing the headset, Swinney. Whether you’re a fan of his post-game interview style or the fact that he’s a quote-machine — whose games are always BYOG (Bring Your Own Guts) — the head man at Clemson has proven to be a high-caliber head coach. There’s plenty of evidence for it, but you need only look to the title game against Alabama for the most recent example of his prowess.
Even with the talent that the Tigers boasted, anyone saying that they had more talent than the Crimson Tide is sorely mistaken. For better or worse, the only football teams in the country with more top-to-bottom talent than Nick Saban’s Alabama teams play on Sundays in the NFL. So for Swinney to not only be able to game plan to win that matchup on a big stage, but to get into a dogfight and win was truly a stroke of genius in favor of the head coach.
Going beyond that, though, the losses on defense for Clemson coming into 2017 shouldn’t affect the unit a great deal. In fact, it wouldn’t be out of the question to say that the Tigers should have one of the 10 best units in the nation on that side of the ball. On every level, they’re going to bring heat and be hard for opposing offenses of any caliber to put points on.
Up front, Christian Wilkins is a bonafide NFL talent at tackle that will wreak havoc, but he’s made even better by the presence of Clelin Ferrell coming off the edge. Taking up the leadership role at linebacker will be Kendall Joseph, another high-end talent that probably offers more in terms of physical tools than Boulware did and seems ready mentally to assume such a large role. Then in the back, the secondary is still immensely talented even without Tankersley as Ryan Carter, Max Field, Van Smith and Dorian O’Daniel present a formidable group.
If there’s one area that detractors are going to point to when it comes to Clemson, though, it’s going to be the offense. And the biggest spot those people will single out will be quarterback and the replacement to Deshaun Watson, Kelly Bryant. Backing up Watson over the past two seasons, Bryant has only thrown 18 passes in his career with the Tigers. He’ll now be expected to lead the offense as Watson’s replacement and, though he’s physically gifted, that’s a tall ask for any 20-year old young man.
At the same time, though, there should be less worry about Bryant than there seemingly is because of what’s around him. Yes, the weapons that Watson largely used are leaving as well, but the Tigers still boast a strong group of skill position players. Deon Cain projects as an NFL caliber deep threat with the potential chops to be an all-around player as well. Flanked by the likes of Hunter Renfrow and Ray-Ray McCloud, Bryant will be aided by those he’s throwing to as they’ll help him in numerous situations.
The running game should also come to Bryant’s aid as well. Clemson fans know all too well how hot-and-cold Gallman was for them throughout his career, frustratingly running into blockers and not hitting holes. C.J. Fuller has only seen limited work up to now in his collegiate career, but early signs indicate that he could actually be an upgrade over his predecessor.
Most importantly, though, Bryant will be well protected with a stout offensive line. They are a strong, experienced overall unit, but have two studs leading the way in tackle Mitch Hyatt and guard Taylor Hearn. Having that type of unit and stability in front of Bryant will help to keep him clean and give him time to get his feet wet as he takes over the starting role. That can’t be underestimated when looking at the offense.
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Are the Clemson Tigers favorites to win the National Championship for the second-straight year? Probably not, and they’re not favorites to win their own conference either. At the same time, however, throwing dirt on them before they’ve played a single snap in the 2017 season is a fool’s errand. Swinney will have this team ready to make noise once again. And when Dabo has his boys ready, they can’t be counted out.