Clemson football: 5 questions the Clemson Tigers must answer in 2020
Clemson football must answer these questions in hopes of winning another title.
After winning the National Championship two years ago and playing in the game last year, Trevor Lawrence and Clemson football are no strangers to success. So it should also be no surprise that the Tigers are coming into the 2020 season as the favorites to again make it to the mountaintop and win the natty.
Despite their status as favorites and the presence of an all-world quarterback and head coach, the Tigers aren’t just going to waltz through everyone they play and win a title without breaking a sweat. There are bonafide concerns and questions that must be addressed about Clemson football if they’re going to realize their potential.
That’s the focus today, looking at the biggest questions that Dabo Swinney and Clemson football must answer to potentially win another National Championship.
Clemson football schedule: Predicting every game. light. Trending
5. How does the offensive line replace four starters?
Because they aren’t touching the ball outside of the initial snap in most cases, it feels as if offensive lines in college football are routinely overlooked. However, we can never underestimate the importance of having great blocking and protection in the trenches. That’s something that should and likely will be in the forefront for Clemson.
For the Tigers, it largely boils down to continuity amidst the group keeping Lawrence upright and paving the way for Travis Etienne. Swinney’s team is returning just one full-time starter from last season, left tackle Jackson Carman. That means the group will have four new starters, which is something wholly worth monitoring.
It’s important to note that it won’t be four players suiting up on the interior and at right tackle that have never seen the field before. Right tackle Jordan McFadden saw significant playing time last season and was solid, as did projected left guard Matt Bockhorst. But even with that, those two players weren’t the starters and that still means newcomers at right guard and center.
Lawrence is a terrific quarterback but he struggled at times as a sophomore when under pressure. Etienne is a home-run threat whenever he has the ball but he’s not a particularly big player who plays well through the first contact in the backfield. Subsequently, how this new-look line performs will have a big impact on what the Clemson offense is capable of in 2020.