Clemson Football: 5 burning questions heading into 2019 season

Clemson Football: 5 burning questions heading into 2019

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: The Clemson Tigers celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. Clemson defeated Notre Dame 30-3. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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CLEMSON, SC – NOVEMBER 03: Teamamtes Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins #42 of the Clemson Tigers react after a defensive play against the Louisville Cardinals during their game at Clemson Memorial Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

2. Replacing the vaunted front-seven

There is no Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant, Dexter Lawrence or Albert Huggins on this defensive line.

There is no Kendall Joseph or Tre Lamar in this linebacker core.

The new players in this Clemson front-seven don’t have to be those guys, but they do have to step into roles and become better players and leaders for this defense.

Can guys like Jordan Williams, Nyles Pinckney, Justin Foster, Xavier Thomas and Logan Rudolph step up on the defensive line?

Can James Skalski, Chad Smith, Jake Venables and Mike Jones Jr. become solid options at linebacker? That front-seven certainly has question marks, but the good news is that there is talent to answer.

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