Clemson Tigers Roster 2019 Tigers Roster

Head Coach: Dabo Swinney        2017 Salary: $8,526,800        Offensive Coordinator: Tony Elliott/Jeff Scott       Defensive Coordinator: Brent Venables         

Stadium: Clemson Memorial Stadium       Surface: Grass        City: Clemson        State: South Carolina

Clemson finds themselves sitting near the top of this year's polls at the 2-spot. The team even received a couple first-place nominations from coaches and voters for the A.P. poll. This is encouraging for a program that has steadily declined in terms of talent. Their playmakers receive their due recognition and find their way to the top of draft boards and other careers. The Clemson recruiting path was a rocky road that often created a tough voyage for a team to rebuild. Within the past decade, the recruiting classes have gotten stronger and the school has been able to sample more homegrown talent in their recruiting processes.

One of the major selling points for this year's roster is the strength of the defense. The team returns a strong defensive line that boasts 2 pre-season All-Americans. The say this team is going to spend a lot of time within the opposition's backfield is an understatement. They returned all of their talent upfront, which is saying something because their third starter wound up on the 2nd Team for All-American selections. If the penetration does go past this first line of defense, the linebacker core will have two represented starters returning to their roles. The outside linebacker and a few secondary positions are the only starting roles the team had to replace on defense. They also utilized their recruiting class to land additional defensive lineman and edge rushers that will flourish within this staple of a system. Clemson is becoming known as lineman powerhouse, creating a well-represented depth boost for the near future. The offense got a shake-up when they went out and grabbed Trevor Lawrence, the nation's best high school quarterback. This created some competition for Kelly Bryant, who struggled at points last season. Lawrence is the pure athlete that is ripe for the college game. His is quick on his toes and makes excellent reads. His field vision is something that excels over what Bryant brings to the table. The team liked the mobility aspect and increase that Bryant brings, so the starting position is safely within his hands as we approach week one. In terms of longer outlooks, Lawrence will be the guy that puts up the better stat line over the course of a career. He is much more accurate and adapt to the position than Bryant. This is a nice move for stockpiling the future of the program and Lawrence will see some time at position, regardless of starter tag. The offense has the pressure to perform. On paper, this defense looks to be one of the strongest groupings in the country, so the test of time will only prove this angle. The offense will have to lean on a veteran wide receiver core and younger quarterbacks to keep them within contests. The defense will carry their load, so the offense must be up to the challenge.