Know the Opponent | #5 Clemson Tigers - BleedTechBlue: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Football & Basketball Recruiting

Dabo Swinney is 151-36 with 2 National Championships in 14+ seasons as the head coach at Clemson. Coming off a "down" year in 2021 in which the Tigers went 10-3, what are the expectations like for 2022?

I think last season gave Clemson and its fan base a new appreciation for just how hard it is to consistently win at the highest level. That said, and as you alluded to, Clemson still had a double-digit win season for the 11th straight year, so the expectations are still to win an ACC championship and compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff, particularly when you have a defensive front seven as deep and talented as they do. The real question is, can the offense get back to producing enough points and explosive plays to help out at the level it needs to for Clemson to get back to being a contender?

The stability within the Clemson coaching staff and the roster has been INCREDIBLE for years. How has Dabo Swinney been able to build such a tight knit culture in this era of college football?

Swinney loves to talk about hiring people first and coaches second. And, like most coaches, he likes to bet on himself. He's known for being loyal to his guys, and there was no better evidence of that than when both of his coordinators, Tony Elliott and Brent Venables, left to take head coaching jobs after last season. Even as some outside the program questioned the moves, he didn't hesitate to promote from within with Brandon Streeter and Wesley Goodwin. And while they don't get as much attention, he made two more internal staff promotions, offensive line coach Thomas Austin and tight ends coach Kyle Richardson, when those positions opened up. And in the wild, wild West that is the transfer portal era, Swinney has hardly added any to his roster, so I think players and coaches appreciate that loyalty.

That said, how have things changed on offense and defense in 2022 with Tony Elliott and Brent Venable moving on for head coaching jobs in the off-season and Swinney having to break in new coordinators on both sides of the ball?

Well Wes Goodwin doesn't need a get-back coach on gamedays like Brent Venables did. Aside from that, though, I don't think a lot has changed schematically. Again, Goodwin and Streeter were internal hires that have both been working with Elliott and Venables for years now, and they're not going to make massive changes to systems that have largely been successful at Clemson. Goodwin and his players have talked about simplifying things defensively in terms of how Goodwin explains concepts. Offensively, Streeter wants to run the ball but has also worked with Richardson, who's also the passing-game coordinator, to add more concepts to the passing game, one of them being the implementation of more option routes. But I don't think you're seeing drastic changes from what Clemson has done in the past.

D.J. Uiagalelei seems to be one of the most polarizing players in college football when it comes to his play at the quarterback position. How has he performed to this point in 2022? What are his strengths/weaknesses?

Uiagalelei has gotten off to the start that he needed, both for Clemson's offense and himself. It's no secret that last season was a subpar showing for the offense given the talent Clemson has on that side of the ball. That starts with Uiagalelei, a former five-star signee. But he's completing nearly 68% of his passes through two games - nearly 13 percentage points higher than last season - and is coming off the most efficient passing performance of his career last week. As far as strengths, with a 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame and rocket arm, he's got all the physical tools you'd want at the position. He's also talked at length about being at a different level as far as reading defenses and going through his progressions, which has shown through two games. His footwork and overall mechanics also look like they've improved a bit since last season, though they can be hit or miss. And he has a tendency to turn the ball over, something he's done in each of the first two games.

Outside of Will Shipley at RB, who are the playmakers to watch for on the offensive side of the ball?

Clemson has a number of receivers that Swinney is high on. It's just a matter of being consistent and available for the group overall, but Beaux Collins looks like he might be emerging as WR1. Joseph Ngata is a former blue-chip recruit that's got the physical ability if he can stay healthy. At tight end, Davis Allen is a next-level prospect, and Jake Briningstool, at 6-6 and 230 pounds, is more of a hybrid at the position. But a freshman to watch out for is Antonio Williams, who's seen his reps increase more and more in the slot. He's a speedy, quick-twitch athlete that's tied for the team lead in receptions through two games.

Defensively, it's no secret that the Tigers might have the best defensive line in the country. K.J. Henry and Bryan Breese have been extremely impressive early on, who are the other names to know up front?

Take your pick. They're seemingly all NFL prospects, and it goes beyond the starters. Defensive end Myles Murphy is widely projected to be a high first-round pick in next year's NFL Draft after leading Clemson in sacks last season, though he's off to a slow start this year. Tyler Davis has been the anchor on the interior of the line for the last handful of years at what is essentially Clemson's nose guard position, though he's been banged up and is questionable for Saturday's game. Xavier Thomas is another formidable edge rusher who led the team in hurries a season ago, but he sustained a foot injury in preseason camp and has yet to play this season. Behind them are guys like Ruke Orhorhoro and Justin Mascoll, upperclassmen who are also likely to be drafted at some point.

Who are the names to watch for in Clemson's talented secondary on Saturday night?

I'd start with Andrew Mukuba. He was a freshman All-American at strong safety last season and came up with an interception on Clemson's first defensive snap this season. But he's probably the most versatile defensive back on Clemson's roster, so you could see him line up at more than one position in a game. Clemson had to replace a pair of all-ACC corners in Andrew Booth and Mario Goodrich. Swinney said he essentially has three starters there in Sheridan Jones, Fred Davis and Nate Wiggins, though Jones and Davis have gotten the starting nod in each of the first two games. I think that's going to be an interesting position to monitor all season for Clemson and particularly against Louisiana Tech's passing game come Saturday night, but Clemson certainly has the talent on the back end if it can stay healthy.

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