Don't bother asking Dabo Swinney for a final depth chart ahead of Saturday's mega-showdown with LSU. The truth is, he might not even have one.
From the offensive line to the kicking unit, Clemson is fostering such intense competition that the battles are expected to rage on into the season itself. And the head coach loves it.
"I don't even know who Matt's [Luke] gonna run out there first," Swinney said of his offensive line, comparing the situation to when former defensive line coach Dan Brooks had five starters for two spots. "I really didn't care, you know. They were all dudes... I kind of see it the same way with those seven guys that we have on the offensive line that we see as starters."
The Ultimate Utility Man
The prime example of Clemson's depth and versatility is sophomore lineman Elyjah Thurman. After being thrust into action as a true freshman last year, Thurman has proven he can play almost anywhere.
"Elyjah is a starter," Swinney stated emphatically. "He can start. He truly can start at four positions. And that gives us... that's a blessing. There's not many teams that have a blessing like that, where you got a guy that can literally start at four positions."
That same level of competition exists at kicker, where Swinney admits no one has fully separated. But unlike years past, he says it's because all the candidates have performed well, not because they've struggled.
"It's not a situation like we had a couple years ago where we were breaking in a new kicker and we just didn't have any answers," he explained. "We're at a point where sometimes you just gotta go play... It's not because they all stink, it's because they've all done well."
The same holds true in the defensive backfield.
"You've got depth at safety. You've got depth at nickel. We got depth at corner," Swinney said. "We need to go play and somebody... somebody shine a little bit more when the lights come on."
For Clemson, Saturday isn't just the start of the season; it's the next phase of evaluation.