Clemson Football: 2020 defensive line depth is unreal
The 2020 Clemson football defense is going to have a different complexion than what we saw in 2019 and it should be fun to watch.
The 2019 Clemson football team relied on a solid secondary to carry it to the next level.
In 2020, the Tigers will likely transition back from a 3-3-5 base scheme to more of a traditional 4-3 or 4-2-5 base.
Why?
Because the depth, talent and experience is all along the defensive line.
The Clemson football defensive line, which was replacing four starters and a solid second-stringer a year ago, will now be the strength of the Tigers defense in 2020.
With Nyles Pinckney’s decision to remain at Clemson, the Tigers will return all of their starters and two-deep from this past season.
Just to give you an idea of what we’re talking about:
- DT- Pinckney, Tyler Davis, Jordan Williams, Darnell Jefferies, Ruke Orhorhoro, Tayquon Johnson, Etinosa Reuben.
- DE- Logan Rudolph, Xavier Thomas, K.J. Henry, Justin Foster, Justin Mascoll.
All of these guys- who played in the two and three deeps, as well as those who redshirted- are returning, assuming no transfers. We will likely see one, maybe two, of those redshirt freshmen transition to defensive end.
In addition to returning all of these players- except for a potential transfer or two- Clemson will also add to the mix 5-star DL Bryan Bresee (No. 1 DL in the nation), 5-star DE Myles Murphy (No. 1 DE in the nation), 5-star DT Demonte Capehart (No. 2 DT in the nation) and 4-star DT Tre Williams (No. 8 DT in the nation).
The amount of depth and talent at this unit in 2020 is absolutely unreal. As I’ve said before, we should likely expect to see a transfer or two, but there will still be plenty of depth for this group to be considered one of the most complete in the country.