Clemson football: 3 steps to fixing the Tiger offense heading into the rest of 2021

Three steps to fixing the Clemson football offense heading into the rest of 2021

Step 3: Other personnel improvements & changes

D.J. Uiagalelei has work to do in three major areas:

• Leadership
• Foot work
• Pocket Presence

It’s time for Uiagalelei to step into that leadership role and take command of this offense. He is quiet by nature– and there’s nothing wrong with that– but he has to step up and make sure everyone knows he is the unquestioned leader. When he does that, the offense will have a new sense of confidence surrounding it.

As far as foot work and pocket presence are concerned, I think we’ll see him get better in both categories with more experience and time on the field. Brandon Streeter has done a great job developing quarterbacks in the past and it’s clear Uiagalelei will get better as the season progresses. We’re not worried about him in the slightest.

With the skill position players, it’s clear that there’s plenty of talent there. 

We don’t think it’s fair to say much about the running backs at this point because of the way Clemson abandoned the run. The Tigers didn’t allow any of their guys to get going and the offensive line surely didn’t help them.

At this point, we think you’ll see Will Shipley and Lyn-J Dixon get the majority of reps with Kobe Pace serving as a ‘change of pace’ style back. Both Shipley and Dixon seem to have an extra step of speed and explosiveness in the run game that Pace is lacking, but that doesn’t mean he won’t look better against defenses not named UGA.

At wide receiver, we love the talent and the size. The only real question here is if the Clemson football coaching staff will try to develop a quick-shifting WR to serve as a safety-valve.

Perhaps a Troy Stellato or even a Will Taylor could fit the bill. These wide receivers didn’t do a good a job of creating separation against their defenders in the past game and having that ‘safety-valve’ who can create separation for short dump-offs could be the difference in converting a first down and keeping the chains moving, or having to punt the ball away.

So what’s the best thing Clemson can do to develop this offense? 

You’ve got to get them on the field together. The starters and the key backups need to be playing deep into the SC State and Georgia Tech games as a way to develop chemistry and continuity. If they do that, there will be a greater sense of confidence and readiness for when the next big challenge arises.