Clemson Football: An in-depth look at the 2019 linebacker depth chart
What will the Clemson football linebacker room look like following Shaq Smith’s impending transfer? Here’s a look at the projected depth chart for 2019.
Clemson football received a bit of surprising news when graduate linebacker Shaq Smith put his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Though Smith could choose to return, it is more likely that he will transfer and play his final two years of eligibility elsewhere. He will be a graduate transfer, which means he’ll be eligible to play immediately.
Smith was projected to be a starter and, at the very least, play a lot of snaps in 2019.
With him departing, here’s a look at the projected starters and the depth chart at linebacker for this season.
Projected Starters:
- SAM/Nickel– Isaiah Simmons
- MIKE– Chad Smith
- WILL– James Skalski
Isaiah Simmons returns to fill that role he played last year. He is a potential first-round NFL Draft pick and has done a great job playing that Nickel/SAM position for the Tigers. Chad Smith will likely be the starter at middle linebacker and James Skalski will step in at WILL, where Ben Boulware and Kendall Joseph played in the past.
Smith is a hard-nosed linebacker that will do an excellent job filling in at that MIKE and replacing Tre Lamar.
Depth Behind the Starters:
Mike Jones Jr. is capable of playing either the Nickel/SAM or the WILL position. With Shaq Smith on the roster, Jones Jr. would have likely played behind Isaiah Simmons, but he now might be the backup to get more snaps behind James Skalski.
Jake Venables and Baylon Spector are the other returners at linebacker. Venables redshirted last season, but I expect him to fill in behind Chad Smith at MIKE and I think you’ll see Spector play an outside linebacker position. He was a backup at Nickel/SAM last season.
The Tigers will have four freshmen coming in- Vonta Bentley, Bryton Constantin, Kane Patterson, Keith Maguire- to compete for playing time and fill the depth chart, as well.
Bryton Constantin will not play this season, though, as he tore an ACL and will likely redshirt this season. Both Vonta Bentley and Kane Patterson are talented 4-stars that have the ability to come in and contribute right away.
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2019 Outlook:
The depth certainly took a hit with Smith leaving. The Tigers still have plenty of talent, but not much experience. The freshmen are skilled, but it typically takes some time for linebackers to develop at the collegiate level.
We may could even see someone like Tanner Muse take some reps at linebacker to create more depth.