It’s almost time to get some answers.
Clemson football this week will release its first depth chart of the season in preparation for the opening game Sept. 5 (8 p.m., ESPN) at Georgia Tech. The fourth-ranked Tigers are predicted to win the ACC, but there are some important unknowns for a team expected to compete for the national championship.
Here are the three biggest questions:
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Has Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei improved?
Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei’s sophomore slump was not all his fault. But he’s got to be dramatically better to keep his job.
Wide receivers were too often injured, uninterested in blocking or unable to get much separation from defensive backs. The offensive line was a constant game of whack-a-mole as players shuffled around to different positions. Six sacks and a game-losing interception against eventual national champion Georgia in the season-opener affected Uiagalelei for weeks, if not more.
Statistically, Uiagalelei was the worst starting quarterback in the ACC. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns. His efficiency rating was abysmal. To his credit, Uiagalelei owned up to his struggles and never seemed to lose confidence in himself. Coaches were careful not to blame Uiagalelei too much because they couldn’t afford to lose him. There was nobody better.
Uiagalelei has lost about 30 pounds to make himself more mobile. It could be called the Cade Klubnik Diet, named for a five-star freshman quarterback who is already pushing for the job. Klubnik will likely get early playing time, especially in the second and third games against Furman and Louisiana Tech. Uiagalelei needs to establish himself as the rock-solid starter.
Can Clemson’s new cornerbacks handle it?
Clemson lost both of its starting cornerbacks, Andrew Booth Jr. to the Minnesota Vikings and Mario Goodrich to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Replacing them won’t be easy.
Sheridan Jones, a graduate student, is the veteran leader of the group by default. He made three starts last season and got more than 400 snaps despite playing behind a pair of All-ACC corners. The Tigers are counting on a maturity growth spurt from sophomore Nate Wiggins. Of his 130 snaps last season, 96 came in blowout wins against South Carolina State, Syracuse and UConn.
Other potential impact players include juniors Malcolm Greene and Fred Davis, as well as freshmen Jaedyn Lukus and Toriano Pride. Greene averaged 11 snaps in the last seven ACC games. Davis had 10 or fewer snaps in nine games.
It’s a talented but unproven group. Pecking order needs to be figured out before games against Wake Forest and NC State at the turn from September to October.
Is Clemson’s offensive line dependable?
For all of preseason, we’ve been told about freshman Blake Miller.
He’s already so far advanced that he’s the likely starter at right tackle, moving Walker Parks to right guard. Parks and left tackle Jordan McFadden last season were the bright spots of the offensive line.
We heard something similar last year about left guard Marcus Tate, who started as a freshman in the season-opener against Georgia and was understandably shell-shocked. Tate had his ups and downs after that but by the end of the season he was a fixture in the lineup. Miller won’t have quite the initiation against a Georgia team that includes the word Tech in its name.
Clemson cross-trains its offensive linemen at different positions to get the best five out there. If Miller is the fifth guy, is it really because he is so good, or does that speak more about the guards and the overall depth? The guard spot is down partly because the center spot is down even more. Will Putnam moved from guard to snapper this season because the Tigers don’t have their top two from last year.
Todd Shanesy covers Clemson athletics for the USA TODAY Network.