Clemson football: Tiger offense is going to look a lot different in 2021

The Clemson football offense is going to look a lot different in 2021

The Clemson football team is currently working through spring practice for the 2021 offseason and there have already been some interesting turns in how the offense is operating.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney met with the media earlier this week and he revealed that the Tigers have been preparing Justyn Ross at the slot.

This came as a surprise to many because of Ross’s body type and the effectiveness that he has played with at the boundary position in the past, but it absolutely makes sense and shows how much of a change is coming with this unit.

For anyone who thinks this offense is going to look the same next season, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.

Clemson football is going to have something much different this season and it all starts with quarterback

There was a base offense and specific patterns, routes and audibles called under Deshaun Watson’s leadership that shaped the unit. The same thing can be said about Trevor Lawrence.

Now, as D.J. Uiagalelei takes over, we’re going to see a vastly different approach in how things are run.

Are we saying that the base principles are going to change? Not necessarily.

But there is going to be an added emphasis on passing the ball, on activating those wide receivers and on using Uiagalelei’s arm strength and accuracy to their advantage.

Both Lawrence and Watson were able to run, but Uiagalelei is going to run in a different way. He is going to use more power- while they used speed- in the running game. That will lead to him picking up tough yardage that they might not have been able to get, but it also might not lead to as many explosive QB runs for long yardage.

As a result, I think we’re in to see Clemson throw the ball more than we’ve ever seen in any season. Uiagalelei is going to let it rip and he’s going to activate these wide receivers. That’s why Justyn Ross is moving to the slot.

Can you imagine the nightmare matchup of having to guard Ross in the slot and Braden Galloway at tight end? Teams simply don’t have the linebacker and safety speed or depth to do so.

If you’ve wanted Clemson to use an offensive attack similar to what we saw with LSU in 2019 and Alabama in 2020, you’re going to see something close to it this year.

It will all start up-front with seeing if the Tigers can pass-protect with just five and, if they can, opposing defenses are going to be in trouble.

We’re going to break this offense down even more in-depth throughout the offseason, but the major takeaway Clemson football fans should have right now is simple: This Tiger offense is going to look different than what we’ve seen in the past- and we believe that’s a good thing.