The Clemson football defense left much to be desired following the 2020 season.
The unit was never able to get fully healthy and there always seemed like something was missing. That all came to a head in the CFB Playoff semifinals when the Tigers gave up nearly 50 points to the Ohio State Buckeyes in a game where they were outmatched and completely outplayed.
Since that point, several defensive players have discussed the Ohio State game and how they’ve used that loss as motivation coming into this season.
There’s no doubt that Brent Venables, who is the greatest defensive coordinator in the game, has studied the film and has his eyes set on the changes needed to be made.
Here’s a look at three of the biggest changes we’d like to see from the defense.
Three biggest changes Clemson football needs to make on the defense in 2021
1. Get the play-calls in faster
If there has been one complaint from Brent Venables in his tenure, it has been the fact that the Tigers simply aren’t able to get the play-calls in fast enough.
Venables loves to make adjustments at the lines of scrimmage and he loves to see what the offense is showing him before giving the ultimate play-call. Ohio State used that to their advantage.
The Buckeyes broke out of the huddle late and they snapped the ball quick. That didn’t allow Clemson the time to get set or to get the play-call in properly. In many cases, you can see players completely out of position still looking toward the sideline when the ball was snapped and it happened in more than just the Ohio State game.
In a world where the hurry-up-no-huddle offense is starting to become the norm, Venables has to get the call in faster and our expectation is that he’s going to rely on James Skalski– the six-year veteran and the quarterback of the defense– to make some of those adjustments at the line of scrimmage as a way to alleviate some of those times where they’re pressed.
It’s a game of chess and Venables has done an excellent job making adjustments in the past when the Tigers needed to adapt and we imagine he’ll do the exact same thing this time around.