Clemson football: A lot rides on the success of this spring

A lot rides on the success of this spring for Clemson football

The Clemson football team will begin spring practice this Wednesday as the Tigers look to compete for yet another spot in the CFB Playoff this coming fall.

While Clemson football fans don’t get an opportunity to watch practice- except for the annual Orange & White Spring Game– there will be plenty of news and notes that come out of spring practice.

Most of those notes will be overreactions and analysis that doesn’t ultimately amount to much. After all, a media personnel can look at players running through drills and take away something completely different than what a coach might see.

While it doesn’t seem like the spring is all that important to those of us outside of the Clemson football program, the truth of the matter is that a lot rides on the success of spring practice for the Tigers.

Benchmarks, goals & depth chart alignments will all be determined by spring practice for Clemson football

There’s going to be plenty of competition this spring that makes a difference in who we see on the field this coming fall.

Can players who have bad springs rebound during fall camp and still end up on the field? Absolutely. But pecking orders are defined during the spring. That’s where we saw Cornell Powell emerge last year.

It’s not just about determining pecking order for certain positions and getting an idea of what the projected depth chart is going to look like. It’s also about evaluating each and every individual.

Coaches are going to look at each player and see what they do well and what they don’t do well. From there, they’ll meet with that player, tell them what they want to see them improve upon during the summer and look to see those changes made when fall camp starts up at the end of July or early August.

While it may not seem like a big deal to the average fan- whether you get to see practice or not- spring practice is a major step in developing a team and, ultimately, reaching goals set forth for the season.