Clemson Football: What fans want to see most from the Tiger offense

The tight end should be an asset

Clemson boasted some fantastic pass catchers when they won the national championship in 2016, such as Mike Williams, Hunter Renfrow and Artavis Scott. One of the best pass catchers that season wasn’t a wide receiver. It was tight end Jordan Leggett.

Leggett finished that season second in passing yards with 736, behind only Williams.

In the years that have followed, the Tigers just haven’t gotten the same kind of production from the tight ends. A promising start to Braden Galloway’s career was stifled by a suspension. Davis Allen has played well for the past few years, and Briningstool became a contributor as a sophomore, but even combined they still had fewer receiving yards (728) in 2022 than Leggett in his final season.

Since Riley’s offense will often utilize four receivers, a natural assumption is the tight end will see less emphasis than before. That is not likely to be the case, however.

Riley had NFL caliber tight ends at SMU, and he used them accordingly. Additionally, Briningstool has the ability to motion out and line up in the slot, giving the Tigers more elements of unpredictability.

Is Briningstool likely to eclipse Leggett’s 2016 receiving yards total? That’s a big ask, but it’s not unrealistic for him to have the most yards by a tight end since that championship season.