My Spring 2020 Outlook: Defense

Feb 10, 2020, 12:12 PM

DT: I think once a weakness, now becomes a strength. Getting Pinckney back healthy will help, along with an improved Jordan Williams. Tyler Davis is a stud and is undoubtedly a starter. Throw in Bresee and Capehart, along with Orhorhoro, Reuben, and Tayquon Johnson, and the interior should have as much depth as we've had awhile. Just depends on the younger guys and their development. Tre Williams should help when he arrives this summer. I don't expect much out of Darnell Jeffries.

DE: Justin Foster and Xavier Thomas are the starters most likely with Henry and Mascoll next up. Myles Murphy should push for reps immediately this summer as well. Bresee might get some work at DE too since there are available snaps to be had there, sort of like Christian Wilkins back in the day. This group needs to do a better job of getting to the QB next year. I wonder what Greg Williams' development is looking like after a RS year....maybe he can surprise some folks? We need Thomas to take a big leap and its a money year for him in terms of the NFL.

LB: Getting Skalski back is very good. I think him and Spector give us the best chance at success. Jake Venables is solid but not great. I'm interested in seeing what comes out of Levonta Bentley after his RS year. It's a very big year for guys like him, Mike Jones, Patterson and McGuire. Trenton Simpson might push for snaps right out of the gate at SAM but it will take awhile for BV to trust him. I think Jones will be a starter at SAM for week 1 because of this.

CB: We have 4 guys that can play but really, only 1 that is dependable: DK. This spring is big for guys like Mario Goodrich, Andrew Booth and Sheridan Jones. I like Jones to emerge as a starter heading into the spring game. If nothing else, I see him and Goodrich being listed as co-starters at one position with DK at the other. Booth needs to just rehab and get his mind right and he will be in the thick of it when healthy. I don't expect LeAnthony Williams to contribute much else as a Tiger which leaves the door open for Fred Davis and Malcom Greene (when he arrives on campus in the summer).

Safety: Nolan Turner and who???? We have a lot of young guys itching for that other starting spot. Zanders, Ray Thornton, Joe Charleston, and Jalyn Phillips are the guys to watch for. The group also adds Tyler Venables and RJ Mickens. One of those 6 guys is going to have to emerge on the other side of Nolan. My bet is Charleston or Zanders. There are also snaps to be had at SAM/Nickel and I know Thornton and Phillips were repping there some last year. Big question marks out of this group.

Bottom line: the DL is going to have to lead this unit early while the back-end gets situated. Pretty much the opposite of last year. I expect BV to go back to his 4-3 base defense with the 3-3-5 or 3-2-6 coming on obvious passing downs if he finds some guys he can trust back there.

Message was edited by: TheSecondComing17®

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I really appreciate the breakdown and agree with most of what you are saying.

Just for discussion purposes:

DT: I think the less we see of Pinckney and Williams, the better it is for the unit. It's not that I don't like those guys, but we know exactly what they can do and if they are healthy and not getting a ton of playing time that means the young guys are really developing. I think we have some higher ceilings with the younger guys on the team. That includes Orhorhoro and Reuben who were very raw but have a lot of room for growth after a year.

DE: I think Bresee at end is a bad thing for the most part. Again similar to my take on the DTs, if Bresee is playing end then that means the more natural DEs are not performing very well. I do think there are packages for him when we switch to a 3 man front, but I prefer to see Foster, XT, Henry, Mascoll, and Murphy getting the 4-3 or 4-2 snaps at DE.

LB & S: Same story here at both positions. One proven guy and a ton of potential with the young guys. Word is that all of the youth is more athletic than the departing seniors. Smartest and most dependable youth plays next to Turner and Skalski.

Nickel/Sam: This has become a different position from LB on Clemson's team since DO'D took over. I expect to see more of a nickel corner in this spot for passing downs unless one of the SAMs shows a major improvement in coverage skills. I agree that Simpson seems like the wildcard here. It would be an incredible feat for a true freshman to take this spot considering the knowledge that it requires in BV's system.

CB: DK starts. We have 4-5 unproven guys vying for the 2nd starter spot and depth. I have less feel here than any other position for who moves in.

My Spring 2020 Outlook: Defense

Re: My Spring 2020 Outlook: Defense

Re: My Spring 2020 Outlook: Defense

Correct I meant Tre....sorry; autocorrect got me on my phone

Re: My Spring 2020 Outlook: Defense

Agree. Good, indepth information!***

Re: My Spring 2020 Outlook: Defense

Re: My Spring 2020 Outlook: Defense

I don't think so either

DT, LB, S

What is your definition of DEPENDABLE?

Dependable meaning they

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