The Clemson football offensive line struggled a bit in the 2017 season, especially against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Here’s why the Tigers will be better in 2018.
The Clemson football team kicked off spring practice on Wednesday and, for the first time in over two months, we had a chance to see the guys out in their gear, even if it wasn’t full pads.
In 2017, the Tigers seemed to have some troubles on the offensive line.
It seemed that the group didn’t mesh together at times and that different guys struggled. The right tackle position was never really solidified and Clemson was beaten in the interior of the line in some cases.
The Tigers got better as the season progressed, but then fell apart on January 1st against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The front lines:
I know everyone is quick to judge Kelly Bryant when assessing the loss to the Crimson Tide, but you can’t forget the offensive line’s part in it.
It would’ve been tough for Joe Montana to fit the ball in the tight holes that Bryant had to throw in with the pressure that he was facing. It was just a mixture of a lot of different things.
This year, I think we have a chance to see one of the best offensive lines in recent history.
Mitch Hyatt returns for his senior season to man the left tackle position. The Tigers will also have center Justin Falcinelli and Tremayne Anchrum and Sean Pollard, who have starting experience as well.
John Simpson will see more time at guard and we will also see guys like Jackson Carman, Noah DeHond, Gage Cervenka, Cade Stewart, and Blake Vinson step into the depth chart.
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Overall, this is a very talented group. They will have to fill a few open holes at the starting positions, but I think this group looks as if they could be better as a unit and have more depth than that of groups in years past.