When the Clemson football Spring Game happens a couple of weeks from now, one of the things I’ll be looking at are the snaps that go from the center to the quarterbacks.
I know it sounds simple and should be “automatic”, but It’s one of the few things you can glean from the game and even then, with the rules often in place, it’s not really a true judge of what it’ll be like in an actual game, but rather a starting point.
Earlier this month, the returns were positive on the move of guard Will Putnam to center, but I take these with a grain of salt this time of year, as coaches are likely trying to build confidence rather than tear it down.
Of course everyone’s answer is the transfer portal and while I agree it’s worth a look, the pickings appear slim.
There’s this notion that Clemson can just pick and choose from many options in the portal and really that’s not the case, at least for centers.
If my unscientific Twitter poll is any indication, Clemson fans are all in on the portal idea.
Should #Clemson football get a transfer center for 2022?
— Rubbing The Rock (@RubbingTheRock) March 27, 2022
While the options in the portal may not be as plentiful as fans expect, one option, Brian Greene from Washington State, has received interest from ACC schools Virginia and Syracuse. A former walk-on, Greene made it to the watch list for the Remington Trophy last season and has a COVID year of eligibility remaining.
Another candidate, Rafiti Ghirmai, played in 10 games for Texas in 2020 , but didn’t play at all last season as the new coaching staff apparently felt they had better options. Ghirmai was highly recruited out of high school, but there’s a high miss rate on offensive lineman, so that leaves one wondering if he’s got potential or was overrated.
The final candidate is Cole Spencer from Western Kentucky who is thought to have NFL potential as a center. There’s just one problem. He played tackle, not center last year.
So, yes, there are centers available in the portal, but that’s the thing about the players in the portal. They are there for a reason and while some fans may look at these as good options to what Clemson currently has, another may look at them and say, “Former walk-on being recruited by lesser teams, another guy who couldn’t get on the field at mediocre Texas and a guy who didn’t even play center last year”.
What you see is in the eye of the beholder.
These are the type of candidates Clemson is evaluating, though I have no knowledge of any interest on either parties side for these three in particular.
Sometimes the best candidate is right in front of you, whether you are looking at filling a construction job or center on a college football team.
Is that the case here? I’m not sure, but as spring practice winds down, I have a hard time believing a center is going to show up at Clemson over the summer, participate in fall drills and contribute in 2022 in any meaningful way.