Clemson Football: Could the Tigers have the best interior OL in the nation?
The interior line for Clemson football in 2019 is vastly underrated. The Tigers have a great blend of talent, experience and skill in the trenches.
Amidst the excitement over the amount of talent Clemson football possesses in the skill positions, many fans have forgotten about the talent in the trenches.
When we talk about the 2019 Clemson football offense, there are a few names that come to mind. People talk about Trevor Lawrence- the best QB in the nation- and Travis Etienne- one of the top running backs in the nation. They talk about the dynamic duo at wide receiver led by Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross, as well as the depth at the position behind those two play-makers.
An area that should have Clemson football fans excited, but rarely gets talked about is in the interior of the offensive line.
While the Tigers will have to replace Justin Falcinelli at center, there is reason to believe that the interior offensive line for Clemson is going to be one of the best in the nation.
The Tigers return three guys that have starting experience in Sean Pollard, John Simpson and Gage Cervenka. Pollard is expected to move over to center and reportedly had a great spring at the position.
Cervenka has been a solid leader for Clemson and, after splitting time with Pollard at guard last year, he’ll take over as the full-time starter this season.
John Simpson is an All-American level offensive guard. There’s an opportunity for Simpson to develop into one of the nation’s best guards this coming year and to become one of the first guards taken in next year’s draft.
When you combine the experience, talent and skill that these three guys possess, it’s clear to see that the Tigers are going to have a dominant interior offensive line. They’re going to open up holes for the running game and they’re going to wear down opposing defensive lines.
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It’s the one place that we don’t ever look during a game. If you’re watching a CFB game, you’ll watch the ball, the skill position players and you may even glance at the offensive line and see how the tackles are perfomring along the exterior, but rarely does anyone ever look inside.
This season, if you want to know where the success is coming from for the offense, bring your attention to none other than the interior of the offensive line. You’ll certainly be impressed.