CLEMSON – The Clemson football team is looking to get back on the winning path.
The Tigers (9-4) finished last season with their fewest wins since 2010 and missed out on the ACC Championship and College Football Playoff for the third straight year. A big reason for their struggles last season was an offensive line that ranked 50th in the nation in points scored and total offense.
If the Tigers don't improve their offense, it could be an issue for coach Dabo Swinney's squad in 2024. Heading into preseason practice, here are Clemson's weakest position groups.
Attacking Line
The Tigers' offensive line has allowed 28 sacks for the second straight season. Not all of those sacks came from the Tigers' offensive line, but Swinney replaced offensive line coach Thomas Austin with Matt Luke in December.
The offensive line struggled in Clemson's spring game, allowing 11 combined sacks from both varsity units. To avoid injuries to the quarterback, Coach Swinney placed the quarterback on no-contact status and blew the whistle for a sack as soon as a defender got within arms length of the quarterback.
Clemson's first-team offensive line in the spring consisted of Tristan Lee (left tackle), Collin Sadler (left guard), Ryan Linthicum (center), Marcus Tate (right guard) and Blake Miller (right tackle). Linthicum is in a battle with Harris Sewell and Trent Howard for the starting center position, which could change before the season begins.
Walker Parks has also been cleared to practice after recovering from a lower-body injury he suffered in September that ended his 2023 season. Sadler filled in for the fifth-year player, but practice will determine who the starting five will be.
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Quarterback
The pressure is on Cade Klubnick to deliver in his junior season. He passed for 2,844 yards with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He led the conference in pass attempts and completions, but made costly mistakes in key moments, was sacked 28 times, allowed the fewest yards per attempt in the ACC (6.3) and completed over 60% of his passes for nine yards or less.
If Klubnik struggles, there is no established quarterback on the roster to replace him. Swinney has faith in Christopher Vizzina, but the freshman struggled in Clemson's spring game. They also have Trent Pearman, who had a great spring game, but he's a walk-on.
Running back
With Phil Muffa the unquestioned No. 1 running back after Will Shipley went pro, the question surrounding Clemson's running back corps is who will serve as the senior's backup.
Keith Adams Jr. played well in spring practice, Swinney described Jarvis Green as a natural back who plays fluidly, freshman David Eziomme has room to grow but told Tigers coaches he reminds him of a younger Mafa, and then there's Jay Haynes, who missed spring practice with a hamstring injury.
Still, the running back corps didn't perform well in Clemson's spring game. With Mafa out and Haynes injured, the three running backs combined for just 40 yards on 20 carries. Going into preseason practice, it's clear that a second running back will have to emerge to help Mafa.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson University sports for the Greenville News and the USA Today Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter): @DerrianCarter00
