Clemson football: Replacing Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne are no problem

Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne are two of the best to ever wear a Clemson football uniform and both are less than two weeks away from hearing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell call their names on stage at the NFL Draft.

Most teams around the country would have a really hard time replacing two all-time greats at quarterback and running backs but Clemson football is not most programs.

Over the last six years, the talent that has flocked to Clemson, South Carolina to play football has been something longtime fans never thought would happen. Sure, from time to time the Tigers would swipe a highly ranked kid from the clutches of FSU or UGA but it didn’t happen often and the Tigers surely had never gone to California to cherry-pick the state’s best players from college football heavyweights like USC.

That has all changed under head coach Dabo Swinney and that allows Clemson football to replace all-time greats with players who will more than likely be even better.

Of course, that statement is saying a lot and also means that there is a lot of pressure on presumptive starters like DJ Uiagalelei and Lyn-J Dixon but it also speaks to the depth – especially at running back.

Coach Swinney has said from day one that Uiagalelei has had the strongest arm he has ever seen. We say that on display when he was in high school and out threw Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. While a strong arm doesn’t make a quarterback elite, it at least starts there.

Can Uiagalelei lead like Tajh Boyd, Deshaun Watson, and Trevor Lawrence were able to as Clemson football quarterbacks? That remains to be seen but we know he has generational talent and is more than capable of leading Clemson to its fourth national title.

Replacing Travis Etienne will be a little bit tougher for Clemson football.

That said, it is not impossible – though it will be done by committee as running back coach CJ Spiller has some of the best talents in the country right now and he has the unenviable task of figuring out who plays.

Lyn-J Dixon will get the first look. As Etienne’s backup the last three seasons, he will be rewarded and be the starter headed into fall camp. That said, there are several young guys behind him that will push and claw their way onto the field.

Behind Dixon are sophomore Kobe Pace and true freshman Phil Mafah and Will Shipley. Of course, juniors Michel Dukes and Chez Mellusi are also in the mix.

Given the depth and the different strengths that each of these guys possesses, they will all see the field at some point and collectively should be a priority for offensive coordinator Tony Elliott – something Travis Etienne sadly never was.

Clemson football is in good hands and will not see a dip in production, talent, or wins in 2021 despite having to replace two elite-level guys at important positions on offense. The Tigers