Clemson Football: Which freshmen avoid redshirts under new rule?

The new redshirt rule will be of great benefit to Clemson football for years to come. Here’s a look at the freshmen that will avoid redshirts this season.

The 2018 Clemson football freshman class is one of the most talented in school history. The Tigers have plenty of talent and guys that are ready to play right away.

While not many freshmen will garner starting positions, we will see every single one of them at some point this season.

With the new redshirt rule, a player is allowed to appear in four games and still redshirt the season. That means that we will see these guys play and still have the year of eligibility of they’re not going to make a huge impact in 2018.

Here is our predictions for which freshmen will definitely avoid redshirts which ones will play in four games or less and receive a redshirt and some that may be on the fence.

Avoiding a Redshirt:

• Trevor Lawrence
• Xavier Thomas
• KJ Henry
• Justyn Ross
• Derion Kendrick
• Jackson Carman
• Lyn-J Dixon

This group of seven freshmen will, in my opinion, avoid redshirts. I think both Xavier Thomas and KJ Henry have a chance to ascend up the depth chart and play some valuable snaps this season. Trevor Lawrence is currently locked in a battle with Kelly Bryant for the quarterback spot so we’ll definitely see him play. Plus, there’s no reason to redshirt a guy that is going to leave after his junior year anyway.

That’s what I see with this group. All seven of these players, other than maybe Lyn-J Dixon, have a chance to be first-round draft picks after their junior seasons.

On the Fence:

• Kyler McMichael
• Mario Goodrich
• Mike Jones Jr.
• Darnell Jefferies
• Braden Galloway
• BT Potter

There are several freshmen that are on the fence. I think you could easily see a guy like Kyler McMichael, Marion Goodrich, or even Mike Jones Jr. earn some playing time.

BT Potter is a guy that most likely will redshirt, but if he is able to boom kicks into the end zone, the coaches might find him useful to be a kickoff specialist.

Braden Galloway could see some time. But the question is if this group of players will play enough that the coaches will want to burn a year of eligibility for them when they don’t have to. For many of these guys, the decision will probably be made after the coaches see them in action.

Will Probably Redshirt:

• Justin Mascoll
• Jake Venables
• Jordan McFadden

You never know who will redshirt. Right now, though, I’ve picked out these three guys- Mascoll, Venables and McFadden- as probables to redshirt.

All three of them have plenty of talent ahead of them on the depth chart and probably need a year of development. This good thing for them, though, is the fact that they’ll be able to appear in four games this season and gain some invaluable experience for their career.