Five position battles that will continue through the summer for Clemson football
The 2020 Clemson football team is one of the favorites to win the National Championship heading into the season, but there are still some interesting questions.
The Tigers have plenty of talent, but will have to replace some of their top stars from last year that are now in the NFL.
Here’s a look at five position battles that will continue through the summer for Clemson football.
5. Wide Receiver
The wide receiver position doesn’t necessarily have the ‘name-recognition’ depth that we’ve grown accustomed to in this program.
The Tigers will be without their top two leading receivers from last year as Tee Higgins departed to the NFL and Justyn Ross is out following a season-ending surgery. As a matter of fact, Travis Etienne– Clemson’s starting running back- is the leading receiver returning for the Tigers at this point.
Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell seem like penciled-in starters to begin the year and we’re going to see a battle between sophomores Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson Jr. for that final starting spot. There’s going to be a big rotation that also includes freshmen E.J. Williams and Ajou Ajou during the season and this is one position that is clearly going to have a ton of competition well past the summer.
4. Linebacker
The linebacker position returns one starter in James Skalski, but the Tigers will have to replace Chad Smith (WILL) and Isaiah Simmons (SAM/Nickel).
While the clear-cut starters seem to be Mike Jones Jr. (SAM) and Baylon Spector (WILL), there is still going to be some competition with guys like Jake Venables and Vonta Bentley, as well as others, not just pushing for the starter role, but for filling the two-deep depth chart.
Brent Venables is extremely selective on who plays the linebacker position in his defense and it will be interesting to see which of these young Tigers impress him the most over the course of fall camp and into the season.
3. Offensive Line
The offensive line is going to have nothing but competition during this preseason.
The Tigers are replacing four starters and will only return Jackson Carman from last year. Cade Stewart (center), Jordan McFadden (right tackle), Matt Bockhorst (left guard) and Will Putnam (right guard) are the expected starters, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be competition from guys like Blake Vinson and Walker Parks during the preseason.
Even if the starters are etched in stone, one of the biggest questions will be what the second-string group looks like. It’s all about building depth and there’s going to be plenty of competition from that perspective.
2. Defensive Backfield
The defensive backfield has plenty of talent returning, but the Tigers will still be replace three starters from last year’s secondary.
Nolan Turner is expected to become a full-time starter at safety and he could be joined by Lannden Zanders for the other spot. Guys like Joseph Charleston and Ray Thornton will also be competing for reps there.
At cornerback, Derion Kendrick will handle one spot. The opposite side? It could be a three-way battle between Mario Goodrich, Sheridan Jones and Andrew Booth Jr.
1. Backup Quarterback
The backup quarterback position may not seem like much on the surface, but the truth is that this means much more than most will understand.
First, in a season like this, you could have to play your backup quarterback at any moment.
Second, the winner of the competition this fall- between Taisun Phommachanh and DJ Uiagalelei- has an inside track on winning the starting job next spring for the 2021 Clemson football season.
It will be interesting to see what happens with the battle between Phommachanh and Uiagalelei this season and what they do when they get on the field.