Early 2024 Clemson roster analysis: Offense |
Through three quarters of the Gator Bowl, Clemson managed only 10 points. It seemed a season full of offensive struggles was bound to come to a disappointing but perhaps fitting conclusion. Then, fueled by the defense forcing four turnovers, Clemson's offense ignited for three touchdowns and two field goals in the final frame. Most notably, trailing by five points with 2:39 remaining, Cade Klubnik skillfully led the game-winning touchdown drive.
Clemson ended the year just 50th in total offense and 49th in scoring offense, but that fourth quarter, and particularly the final drive, highlighted their upside and created optimism for the unit heading into 2024. The four players who came through with the biggest plays on that game-winning drive – Klubnik, RB Phil Mafah, TE Jake Briningstool, and WR Antonio Williams – are set to return next season. With that backdrop, we begin our very early analysis of the 2024 Clemson Tigers offense. Quarterback Players on scholarship: 3 Star Power: B Depth: C Klubnik will return for his junior season in 2024. There is still belief in the program that he’ll reach another level, and after seeing him lead the Gator Bowl’s game-winning drive, you can see why. That said, he fell short of expectations in 2023. He threw for 219 yards per game with a 19-9 TD-to-INT ratio while fumbling the ball ten times (sixth-most nationally) and losing five of those fumbles (also sixth nationally). Maybe more telling than the numbers were the specific times when he made foolhardy decisions, like throwing on fourth-and-short against Florida State or scrambling from the pocket with no timeouts against UNC. Fortunately, another year with OC Garrett Riley and improvements at wide receiver and offensive line could help him take a big step in his development next season. He still has the tools to be an excellent college quarterback. Behind Klubnik, Christopher Vizzina will go from redshirting to needing to be ready to go in the event of an injury. Like Klubnik, he was also a big-time prospect. Walk-on Trent Pearman and super-senior Paul Tyson round out the depth (Tyson will be in a student coach role but available in an emergency situation). There’s upside with the top two QBs, but nobody has proven to be a star yet. Running Back Players on scholarship: 5 Star Power: A Depth: B- Will Shipley has declared for the NFL draft, making Mafah the clear lead-back for Clemson in 2024. While losing a good player like Shipley isn’t ideal, leaning more heavily on Mafah from the start of the season should lead to good things. Remember, Mafah didn’t begin getting his fair share of the carries until the Notre Dame game, and Clemson hasn’t lost since. It wasn’t really the main reason for Clemson’s five-game win streak (see all the turnovers the defense started collecting), but it certainly helped. Mafah was Clemson’s best offensive weapon in 2023, but he wasn’t flawless. He was generally poor in pass protection, receiving a 41.0 PFF grade in the area and missing the block that spurred the infamous scoop-and-score by Florida State. Behind him, Keith Adams Jr. (Rs. So), Jay Haynes (Rs. Fr.), Jarvis Green (Rs. Fr), and David Eziomume (Fr.) will vie for the next spots in the depth chart. None of the returners surpassed 33 snaps last season. Adams Jr. appeared briefly as a fullback in the Gator Bowl and could play a multi-faceted role. Breakaway speed is what Clemson has been missing the past couple years, and some of the others could provide that. Eziomume is an exciting freshman who also starred in track and field at North Cobb High. It will be fun to see what he and the others can bring and who emerges as the backup to Clemson’s star of the offense, Mafah. Wide Receiver Players on scholarship: 10 Star Power: C+ Depth: B- Clemson’s WR play left much to be desired for the third straight season. Once again, injuries played a big part of that, as Williams and Cole Turner missed the majority of the year. The Tigers get both back, and with rising sophomore Tyler Brown, have a trio they can feel good about. Troy Stellato finally had a healthy season and should be a valued contributor, while Adam Randall had a strong Gator Bowl and could still have untapped upside. That isn’t enough, though. Clemson still needs a legitimate outside WR threat that can take the top off the defense and win jump balls. Perhaps Williams or Turner can be that, but it remains an unknown. Many are hoping two very highly-rated recruits from the 2024 class will help provide that deep threat. Bryant Wesco and TJ Moore will come in and have an opportunity to earn snaps early if they can help the offense become more explosive. There are options with good upside potential, but none that are proven. That makes wide receiver a major X-factor for the offense in 2024. Tight End Players on scholarship: 5 Star Power: B+ Depth: B+ Clemson lost Sage Ennis to the transfer portal but otherwise returns the same tight end group while adding the very highly-rated freshman Christian Bentancur to the mix. The group will be led by Jake Briningstool. On the one hand, Bringinstool finished the season with 498 yards and went off for nine receptions for 91 yards against Kentucky. On the other hand, he was a non-factor for games at a time and received poor PFF grades for his blocking. If he can find consistency, he could challenge Jordan Leggett’s Clemson single-season receiving yardage record for a tight end (736 yards). Offensive Line Players on scholarship: 15 Star Power: F Depth: A Clemson may not have a player like Jordan McFadden, John Simpson, or Mitch Hyatt on the offensive line, but what they lack in proven star power, they have in depth. Center Will Putnam is gone, but they return four starters: Marcus Tate, Walker Parks, Blake Miller, and Tristan Leigh. Due to the injuries Marcus Tate and Walker Parks endured, Harris Sewell and Collin Sadler also saw a lot of action and are essentially two more returning starters. Many of these players were highly-touted recruits, but they haven’t necessarily shown it on the field. The hope for Clemson is that new offensive line coach Matt Luke can get more out of them. It’s a big unknown, maybe the biggest unknown for the 2024 Tigers, but if he can unlock a significantly higher level of play from this group, the entire offense may look different. Overall There is a very realistic chance that Clemson sees improvement from every offensive position group next season. Klubnik should be better after a full year as the starter. Mafah is more than ready to be the lead-back. Getting Williams and Turner healthy should massively improve the WR corps, and the incoming freshmen could add explosiveness. Briningstool is teeming with potential and now has some production and learning lessons to grow from. Finally, the biggest area of potential improvement may be the offensive line, where they return nearly everyone and add an elite position coach to help them reach their potential. The defense will likely take a step back next season with so many departures, and if the Gator Bowl was a sneak peek into 2024 (due to the defensive opt-outs), perhaps that will be a bit bigger step back than I anticipated when I wrote the early roster analysis on the defense. That only makes it more critical the offense improves enough to make up for it and then some. There’s good reason to believe the offense will take that long-awaited next step. It may be a question of whether they’ll improve enough to be a fringe playoff contender or one that could not just contend for the new 12-team playoff but also get in and make some noise.
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