Clemson football: 3 unanswered questions remaining after spring 2021

2. Can the offensive line take the next step?

No one who watched Clemson football with an unbiased can honestly say that the offensive line was good in 2020.

Though the offensive line had its moments where it looked like a cohesive unit, more games than not they struggled and that hurt the Tigers immensely.

Some teams did bring extra guys in the box to deal with Travis Etienne- and that made it more difficult on the line- but there’s still no question that this group has to get better.

Dabo Swinney has been extremely optimistic about the offensive line during spring practice and there were several linemen who stood out in the Orange & White Spring Game a couple of weeks ago. Swinney maintains that the Tigers will have somewhere between 9-10 offensive linemen they can rely on by the time the season begins, but it all has to be seen on the field.

This group can be talked up- and from everything we’ve seen, they do look improved- but until we see them perform against Georgia in the season-opener and until we see how they progress throughout the fall, it’s tough to say with all certainty that they are going to take the next step forward. Though, we are hopeful.