Clemson Football: Five freshmen most likely to make an impact in 2022

Blake Miller

Mitch Hyatt started as a true freshman at tackle and went on to be a four-year starter for the Tigers. Otherwise, Clemson fans have become accustomed to seeing most freshmen go through a developmental period before seeing significant playing time. It was a bit of a surprise when Marcus Tate got the starting left guard job as a freshman in 2021, but that was more due to necessity. Tate’s growing pains last season illustrated just how hard it is for a freshman to jump into the starting lineup.

Because of that, I don’t think anyone expected either of Clemson’s offensive linemen from the Class of 2022 to contribute as a starter right away, but to date, it appears that both Blake Miller and Collin Sadler have shown they are more ready than most true freshmen. Greenville’s Sadler has made the case that he can be part of the two-deep, but the biggest surprise of camp is that Miller’s performance has been so strong that the staff feels comfortable putting him at right tackle, allowing Walker Parks to move to right guard.

I think this could be huge for the Tigers’ offensive line this season. I don’t think they would move Parks out of the right tackle spot if they didn’t feel Miller could give them the same kind of performance. Most of the pro reviews I have seen on Parks indicate he would most likely play guard in the NFL, so this is a chance for him to move inside and put some tape out there for pro scouts.

The real crush here, of course, is that if Miller can handle starting right tackle already, then Clemson has finally hit on a top-notch talent on the offensive line, something they have desperately needed.