Clemson Football to play spring game on April 15th

The ACC just announced its 2023 conference schedule for Clemson and all its peer institutions. They also announced the spring game schedules for conference members.

Clemson will play their spring game on Saturday, April 15th. The start time is scheduled for 1:00 PM at Death Valley.

The game will be available for streaming on ACC Network Extra via the ESPN app. Nine other ACC schools will play their spring games on the same day, including Florida State, North Carolina, and Pitt.

The spring game is a little later on the calendar than in previous seasons. In 2021 it was on April 3rd, and last year moved back about a week to April 9th. It moves back about another week this year.

This puts the Tigers’ intrasquad scrimmage more in line with the timeframe that most programs feature their spring game. Clemson’s game has often been among the first to be held nationally.

This spring game will be important, especially for the Clemson offense. The Tigers will be learning a new offensive system that will be installed by offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, who will be taking over for Brandon Streeter. New systems take time to learn, and it will be critical for the offense to get off to a good start in spring.

This is particularly important for anticipated starting quarterback Cade Klubnik, but perhaps even more important for the players expected to back him up. Incoming freshman Christopher Vizzina and transfer veteran Paul Tyson will need to be ready to take the field in the case of injury to Klubnik.

Hopefully Clemson Football can avoid the injuries that limited them in their spring game last year

Injuries have made a significant impact on the Tigers over the past two seasons. Clemson players lost a lot of game time due to injuries in 2021, and that carried over into the 2022 spring schedule. Most of the running backs and wide receivers that were expected to carry the load for the Tigers in the regular season weren’t available to work with Klubnik and the now-departed DJ Uiagalelei.

The defense will be looking for players to fill the void left by starters departing to the NFL, but they have several options. Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll return at end. Tyler Davis put off a pro career for another season in Death Valley, and Ruke Orhorhoro leads a deep group of veteran tackles that can step into the starting lineup beside Davis. Wade Woodaz emerged from the 2022 recruiting class to make an impact at the SAM linebacker position.

The critical part for the defense will be acclimating some talented freshmen so they can be ready to contribute. Again, injuries could impact the Tigers at a few positions on defense where they aren’t as deep as they are at defensive tackle. In other cases, some freshmen, like defensive lineman Peter Woods, might just be too good to keep off the field.