2022 Clemson season outlook: Offense

Brandon Streeter has the keys to the offense for a first full season calling plays in Clemson.

by Ryan Kantor - Contributor - Tue Aug 16 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2022

Clemson’s offense averaged 26.4 points per game last season, just ninth in the ACC. Worse yet, that metric is boosted by Clemson’s defense, which helped get them the ball back quickly and often in good field position. In terms of yards per play, a more reliable measure, Clemson finished 14th at just 5.2. That’s behind Duke and Boston College who each averaged 5.4 yards per play. Virginia led the ACC at 6.9 yards per play. There’s a long way to go.

Fortunately, Clemson’s offense did not lose many significant on-field contributors from last season – wide receiver Justyn Ross and center Hunter Rayburn are the most notable losses. The unit will be under new leadership though. Tony Elliott accepted the head coach position at Virginia, which prompted Clemson to promote Brandon Streeter to offensive coordinator and Kyle Richardson to TE coach and passing game coordinator. The two say they are slimming down the playbook and increasing the tempo. These seem like necessary adjustments that could go a long way to fixing the offense, but it will of course come down to the players on the field.

The strengths of Clemson’s offense appear to be the running backs and tight ends. The Tigers have five running backs on scholarship with three expected to make heavy contributions. Will Shipley and Kobe Pace are the top two backs, and the duo can do it all. Shipley had more volume and ended the year with 739 yards, 11 TDs, and 16 receptions while Kobe Pace was more efficient averaging 6.2 yards per carry on 104 carries. They were also Clemson’s primary kick returners and figure to be again in 2022. Behind them is Phil Mafah, a true sophomore who would have redshirted but played an important role when injuries and COVID absences pulled Shipley and Pace off the field at times. The trio should be among the best in the country and is further supplemented with true freshman Keith Adams Jr. and former walk-on Domonique Thomas.

At tight end, Braden Galloway departs after an ugly final season where he struggled immensely before an injury abruptly ended his career. Davis Allen took over as the starting tight end and is poised to resume that role again as a senior. Over the last two seasons, Allen has averaged 228 yards and 3.5 touchdowns. He has a very good opportunity to set career-bests across the board.

Jake Briningstool was a high four-star recruit from suburban Nashville who joined the team last year and had three receptions and a touchdown. While he only saw limited action, he should make a much bigger impact in 2022. Behind them, Sage Ennis (Rs. Sophomore) and Luke Price (6yr Sr.) give Clemson functional depth at tight end.

After those positions, things get a little precarious or at least unknown. On the offensive line, they’re cross-training a lot of players for as much flexibility as possible. Jordan McFadden started at left tackle last season. He is arguably Clemson’s best offensive player and will start again this season. To his right, Marcus Tate returns after starting much of last season at left guard as a true freshman. He had his rookie struggles, but coach Dabo Swinney has complimented his progress so perhaps we see a jump there. The center position figured to be a fall camp battle between Mason Trotter and Rayburn, but both will miss the 2022 season (Trotter's absence deemed as for the majority of the year). Since Clemson was unable to land a transfer to fill the void, Will Putnam will shift from right guard to center. Clemson attempted a similar move with Matt Bockhorst last season and it went poorly so Clemson has to hope for better results this time.

The right side of the line is where there is still an open competition. The most obvious outcome would be Bryn Tucker, Dietrick Pennington, or Mitchell Mayes starting at right guard and Walker Parks remaining at right tackle. Coaches have been raving about freshman tackle Blake Miller to the point that they’re giving Walker Parks reps at right guard. Parks was Clemson’s best offensive lineman after McFadden and will start, but if Miller beats out the others, Parks may shift to guard to open up the right tackle spot for Miller.

Clemson has plenty of talented players, but it may need some time for the line to gel. This is a great opportunity for new O-Line coach Thomas Austin to make his impact felt. Swinney praised this group during fall camp, but he did the same in 2020 and that offensive line fell short of expectations. Nonetheless, it seems all observers are unanimous that this group is making big strides. Even if we temper that to marginal improvement, it is fair to expect them to be better.

The biggest issues with the offense last year were at wide receiver and quarterback and this is where the biggest questions still remain. One could argue that the biggest culprit was injuries. Brannon Spector was out for the year. Joseph Ngata missed time. EJ Williams and Troy Stellato were held back by multiple injuries and a broken foot cost Ross the final three games of the season.

Perhaps a little less bad luck is what they need. Unfortunately, injuries are already striking. Stellato tore his ACL in camp and will miss the season. Ngata, Williams, and Beaux Collins have all had minor injuries during camp. They should be fine for the season opener, but it is foreboding to hear they are getting beat up already.

Between Will Taylor – who says he is faster than he was prior to last year’s knee injury – Brannon Spector, and freshman Antonio Williams, Clemson should be much better in the slot. On the outside, the Tigers need several players to set up to not only replace Ross, but elevate the group several notches above where they were last season with him.

Closely tied to the wide receiver play is the quarterback position. DJ Uiagalelei appears set to start the opener. He’s lost weight, improved his speed and balance, and sounds ready for a bounce back campaign. Conversely, his passing still looked inaccurate in the spring game. Cade Klubnik enters the fold as a true freshman and while he isn’t expected to start, he raises the floor for Clemson’s QB play.

The Tigers almost certainly won’t finish dead last in the conference in yards per play again. Newly developed strengths at running back and tight end as well as improvements on the offensive line should all but guarantee that. The difference between Clemson being a middle-of-the-pack ACC offense or one that is toward the top of the conference will depend on Clemson’s quarterbacks and wide receivers.

At QB, will Uiagalelei be incrementally better or all the way back to the player who torched Notre Dame in 2020? Will Klubnik have to take over a struggling unit mid-season? If so, will he have the usual freshman struggles or be superhuman like QBs of Clemson past? At WR, will Ngata finally have a healthy season? Will Williams or Beaux Collins breakout? Does Taylor become a two-sport Clemson star and solve the Tigers’ post-Renfrow woes at the slot?

There’s little doubt Clemson will improve on offense. Whether they make enough strides to become legitimate National Title contenders will depend on these questions. We’ll start getting answers in just a few weeks as Clemson’s Labor Day contest with Georgia Tech grows near.