Clemson football: Can Clemson have a Top 10 offensive line in 2022?

As much as we love Clemson football, sometimes you have to question the preview magazines rankings of the Tigers units.

I love the Clemson Tigers, but I enjoy college football on the whole. One of my favorite things about summer is getting my hands on the national preview magazines. I got my first one this past weekend. I saw the Lindy’s magazine as I walked by the literature rack and made it my impulse buy of the day.

I like reading through the national coverage to see what they are saying about all the teams, but I always keep my eye out for mentions of Clemson. I saw that they think the Tiger defensive line will be the best in nation this fall, which is not a surprise. They have Clemson’s linebacker group rated sixth nationally, with Trenton Simpson getting a lot of individual attention. The thing that caught my eye the most was what they said about the offensive line.

Lindy’s has the Clemson offensive line ranked as the 10th best group in the nation. Here is what they say:

"“The Tigers face a huge question at quarterback (will DJ Uiagalelei emerge as the player everyone was expecting last season?), which is a big change from years past, but the Tigers remain a force up front. LT Jordan McFadden leads the way, and moving starting RG Will Putnam to center is a savvy move.”"

It is alright if you are a little perplexed by that assessment. I was too.

My first instinct was to chalk this up to a national or regional writer creating a Top 10 list who was just looking at the recruiting rankings and assuming that Clemson had a strong offensive line unit. If someone didn’t put their eyes on Clemson week in & week out in 2021, they might not realize how much criticism that unit took last year.

Upon further reflection, this prediction might not be as strange as it appears on the surface. First, don’t let the line “the Tigers remain a force up front” throw you off too much. Those that follow Clemson know the offensive line hasn’t been considered a “force” during the Dabo Swinney era, despite having NFL draft picks and a veteran coach in Robbie Caldwell. I’m going to put that in the “writer trying to hook you in” category, but this Top 10 list is more about a prediction moving forward, rather than a reflection of what has happened before.

They aren’t wrong to praise McFadden. He is perhaps the most underrated offensive lineman Clemson has had in recent history. @PFFCollege says he is the highest-rated returning tackle in the ACC. They gave him the fourth best grade of tackles returning nationally.

"“McFadden took his pass protection to new heights this past season, as he allowed zero pressures in over half of his games played en route to a career-best 84.7 pass-blocking grade.”"

I think McFadden has been undervalued by Clemson Nation because we have been seeing all the stars attached to the line players from the Classes of 2019 and 2020 and assumed he would get passed by. After Jackson Carman departed for the NFL, a lot of people assumed it would be Walker Parks, a true sophomore, who would step in as starting left tackle in 2021, but it was McFadden. It may have flown under the radar for a lot of us, but Clemson will have one of the most respected tackles in the nation protecting the quarterback’s blind side this season.

Most of the feedback we heard from insiders during the spring was that reviews of Will Putnam moving to center were positive. It isn’t unreasonable for fans to roll their eyes at that and say “I’ll believe it when I see it.” After all, we heard positive things about Hunter Rayburn at center in Spring 2021 too, but to be fair, we know now that Rayburn was dealing with chronic injuries that have since forced him to retire from football. When he did play through the pain, he was a serviceable center.

I’ve been as frustrated as anyone that Putnam hasn’t lived up to his recruiting ranking, but I am at least open to the possibility that a change in position has been a positive for him. Matt Bockhorst was moved to center in fall camp, not during the spring like Putnam, so comparing those two situations is not apples to apples. If Clemson can get even average play from the center position, that goes a long way for the quality of the entire unit. It might be the first time I have heard of a player feeling more at home at center than guard, but if it works, I’ll take it.

The number of stars assigned in high school does not always translate to college, especially for offensive linemen

Then there are the stars I mentioned a few minutes ago. As you read, I’m the first to criticize writers who assume that because someone was a four-star in high school that they must be four-star college players. If we were to go through those recruits from 2019 & 2020, I could point at a few who I think have underachieved to this point, but to be fair, there are some who I think are going to be pretty good.

Marcus Tate was thrown into the starting line-up and got chewed out by a some frustrated fans (Point at me. I’m guilty), but he improved as the season went on. Few freshmen get on the job training like Tate did, and now he looks to be someone the line can build around. Perhaps the recruit who got Clemson fans the most excited was Tristan Leigh, a highly sought after prospect who chose Clemson over several blue bloods. That enthusiasm was quickly curbed as we learned that he was likely to redshirt – while he was talented, he still needed to develop physically. It appears that Leigh is ready to begin contributing in 2022, giving the tackle position depth that they have lacked in recent years.

Last, but not least, there is a point that Lindy’s didn’t mention in their quick blurb on Clemson’s offensive line: Coach Caldwell has moved into a new role on the staff, and Thomas Austin is taking over as the offensive line coach. I admire Coach Caldwell’s career, but most of the things we have heard from observers is that Coach Austin’s style is connecting with these players. That coaching change isn’t the only one impacting the line in the preseason. Coach Austin explains that the departure of Brent Venables has changed the dynamic for the offensive line in practice:

"“When you have to prepare for every defense imaginable, you have to spend time working on your responsibilities and it takes away from your technique and fundamental development. I think if you can simplify things in spring and fall (camp) and get great at what you want to be, then it gives you more flexibility in-season to add wrinkles as it goes on. It’s been good. It’s gotten both sides better.”"

If I was strictly projecting based on what I saw on the field last year, it seems a stretch to consider Clemson’s offensive line to be a Top 10 unit nationally. If I am being open to the potential for improvement, I can see that there is a decent chance this unit could be one of the most improved on the field for the Tigers in 2022.