The Dream Team Offense for Clemson football under Dabo Swinney
The Dabo Swinney era of Clemson football has seen its fair share of talent come through the door.
At this point in Swinney’s career, the Clemson football program has won two of the last four National Championships, won six ACC Championships and made five-straight CFB Playoff appearances.
Because of the massive amount of success the Tigers have had, we’ve seen recruiting trend upwards and draft picks soar through the roof. NFL teams are lining up at the door to draft Clemson football players and, as a result, this era has been rich in talent, development and success.
As we look back at the Dabo era so far, Rubbing the Rock will be giving you our Dream Team for both the offense and the defense under Swinney.
Let’s start today by taking a position-by-position look at the Offensive Dream Team for the Dabo Swinney era.
Quarterback
Starter: Deshaun Watson
There’s little argument to be had here when it comes to quarterbacks.
Trevor Lawrence still has an opportunity to surpass Deshaun Watson, but it would be near impossible for anyone start Lawrence over Watson at this point knowing what we know about Watson and the career that he had as a Tiger.
Watson was the ultimate definition of ‘clutch’ and he just knew how to make plays when Clemson needed them most.
Behind him, though, there’s still plenty of talent. Lawrence is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and Tajh Boyd is the all-time passing leader in Clemson football history. You really couldn’t ask for a much better and well-versed group at quarterback.
Running Back
Starter: Travis Etienne or C.J. Spiller
The three running backs on this list really aren’t much of a surprise, either.
C.J. Spiller and Travis Etienne are listed as co-starters because they both provide different dynamics to the offense.
Spiller is the dynamic play-maker who can take the ball to the house at any time. Etienne has some of those same characteristics, but runs in between the tackles a little more effectively.
And then there’s the workhorse Wayne Gallman.
Gallman would be the guy you give the ball to earn the ‘hard yardage’ in this offense and there’s no question that the ‘Wayne Train’ would get the job done.
Offensive Line
- LT- Jackson Carman
- LG- Eric Mac Lain
- C- Dalton Freeman
- RG- John Simpson
- RT- Mitch Hyatt
For the offensive line, we decided to give you a starting five.
While there are plenty of talented names who deserve to be on this list, our starting five include Jackson Carman at left tackle and moving Mitch Hyatt (who played left tackle) over to right tackle. You’ve got Eric Mac Lain and John Simpson at the guards and Dalton Freeman at the center position.
You could make an argument for a few different guys- especially at those interior linemen spots- but this is a solid group of guys who were among the best in the conference during their time with Clemson football.
Tight End
Co-Starters: Dwayne Allen or Jordan Leggett
You’ve got to love a tight end duo that includes Dwayne Allen and Jordan Leggett.
Leggett was probably the best receiving tight end to ever play in the Clemson football program and Allen was a versatile tight end who could block just as well as he could catch.
Both of these guys give the offense a dynamic and reliable option for the middle of the field, as well as capable blockers for the running game.
Wide Receivers
WR 1- Sammy Watkins
WR 2- Deandre Hopkins
WR 3- Mike Williams
Clemson isn’t called ‘WRU’ for no reason.
There’s so much talent to choose from at the wide receiver position during the Dabo Swinney and it’s extremely difficult to narrow it down.
Ultimately, we elected to go with eight wide receivers who each bring a little different game to the table.
You’ve got Sammy Watkins, who may be the most explosive play-maker in Clemson football history. Deandre Hopkins, who is currently one of the top wide receivers in the NFL today at the top. Following those two, you mix in boundary talents like Mike Williams and Tee Higgins with play-makers like Artavis Scott and Jacoby Ford. Throw in the reliability of Hunter Renfrow and the vertical threat of Martavis Bryant and you’re talking about a wide receiver core that has it all.
Can you imagine Deshaun Watson in the shotgun with this amount of talent surrounding him and a running back like Travis Etienne or C.J. Spiller in the backfield? The Tigers would be unstoppable. That’s why this is the Offensive Dream Team.