Let's do this Tigers!!
With the 2014 College Football season right around the corner (40 days away to be exact), Clemson has been working hard this summer on making this year even more incredible than the last.
This offseason has been very exciting with recruiting, practices, team events and facility renovations. The team will have a newly renovated locker room and players’ lounge which can be found on the Clemson athletic website. The players’ lounge has pop-a-shot, air hockey, ping pong, huge televisions and gaming systems, along with chairs, couches and relaxing spots. Clemson’s state of the art athletic facilities give the Tigers an upper edge in recruiting, making Clemson all the more appealing for potential players.
This offseason, Clemson recruiting has been phenomenal. Clemson’s 2015 recruiting class already consists of 19 total commits, giving us the second best recruiting class in all of College Football and best in the ACC according to Rivals.com. Coach Jeff Scott has done a great job bringing these players to Clemson and getting them to commit. Although, it can't be too hard. What’s not to love about Clemson?
On the field: Clemson will have one of the best defenses in the nation led by defensive lineman, Vic Beasley and linebacker, Stephone Anthony. These two defensive players decided to put off the NFL for a year and return to play for the Tigers for their senior seasons. Last season, Anthony recorded an astounding 131 total tackles while Beasley had an incredible 13 sacks, tied for third overall in the Nation. Needless to say, these two players should be fun to watch this season.
There will be six senior defensive linemen competing for four starting spots, but right now it looks as if the starters will be Beasley, Corey Crawford, Grady Jarrett and Josh Watson. However, things can easily change once official summer practice starts.
On the other side of the ball, Clemson is looking to rebuild an offense that lost two of the most dynamic players in ACC history. Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins are two of the best players to ever step foot on Clemson’s campus. Boyd, now a member of the New York Jets, set ACC records at quarterback, while Sammy Watkins, drafted by the Buffalo Bills, was easily the most exciting player in all of football last season. Whenever Sammy had the ball, there was a good chance he would be celebrating a touchdown in the end zone before the play was over. This year, however, Chad Morris and Clemson will do its best to keep the Tigers scoring touchdowns.
Senior quarterback, Cole Stoudt and freshman quarterback DeShaun Watson will have the opportunity to compete for the starting position. Watson is ranked as the best dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school and we have the luxury of having him at Clemson. Stoudt, on the other hand, watched Tajh play for three years and knows the offense very well. There have been rumors that Stoudt and Watson will split time until one prevails as the starter, but as always, we won't know until we see it live.
This year, after losing Watkins and Martavis Bryant to the NFL, we will have a receiving group full of young talent. Adam Humphries will be the only senior wide receiver, allowing room for three freshmen and two sophomores to compete for a starting spot. Sam Cooper will be our starting tight end with Jordan Leggett and Stanton Seckinger backing him up. Running the ball will be D.J. Howard, but do not be surprised if Zac Brooks and C.J. Davidson score some touchdowns running the ball.
Clemson will look to use their rushing game to take some pressure off of the quarterback, especially in the first game at UGA. However, UGA’s defense was shaky last season, especially after some injuries. This year, with suspensions, dismissals and transfers, it looks like the defensive backs for the Dawgs will be young and inexperienced, allowing the Tigers to hopefully go deep a few times and score quickly.
August 30, 2014: As mentioned before, the Clemson Tigers will make a trip to Athens, Georgia to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Though the game between these two is definitely not as hyped up as last season, it will still be a great opportunity for the country to see what both teams can do. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN at 5:30PM EST and there will be thousands of Clemson fans in Athens for the big game.
Dan Radakovich, the Clemson athletic director, has even brought up the idea of showing the game live in Death Valley, so those students and local fans who can't make the trip will be able to watch it with plenty of other Tiger fans. Last season, Clemson won 38-35, but it was close the whole time. Let’s do it again, Tigers!
