Clemson football: Are the groups on defense better than in 2019?

Linebackers – Worse

• Key Losses: Isaiah Simmons (NFL), Chad Smith (eligibility)
• Key Additions: Kevin Swint, Sergio Allen, Trenton Simpson

Before you get all in your feelings about stating this group would be worse than in 2019, by no means am I stating that they will be terrible.

When you lose talent like Isaiah Simmons and a fifth-year senior like Chad Smith, you lose a lot of leadership and experience. Regardless of who you bring in, they aren’t going to replace those two, it is simply impossible.

All three incoming linebackers are ridiculously talented and Trenton Simpson is going to remind Clemson football fans of Simmons in a couple of years but they still have to earn their battle stripes in 2020. The defensive line is going to be good enough to let these guys get comfortable and grow early in the season.

Getting a fifth-year senior like James Skalski back in 2020 is something that has flown under the radar as well. Skalski will probably fall in line with many other former Tiger linebackers and not have an NFL career despite being a very good college player, so expect him to have an elite year to end his career on a high note.