Where Clemson football, Dabo Swinney must get answers during spring practice

CLEMSON – Clemson football began spring practice Wednesday, and coach Dabo Swinney took the podium at the Smart Family Media Center to address last season and express his optimism for 2024.

Swinney spoke on what went wrong last season, including red-zone defense, turnovers, poor special teams and lack of “explosive chemistry.” Entering this season, Clemson must figure out its depth chart that includes multiple position battles and find a way for the offense to be more explosive, but Swinney is excited to get spring practice going and solve these issues.

“This is a very attentive group,” Swinney said. “If their commitment matches up, then they’ll have a chance to be a good team.”

Here are three storylines to follow through the spring game April 6:

How will QB Cade Klubnik develop in his second season as a starter?

Cade Klubnik was thrown into the fire in his first full season last year. He posted OK numbers (2,844 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 63.9 completion percentage) in his sophomore season but made critical mistakes in the clutch last season.

Klubnik made errors that proved costly in overtime losses to Florida State and Miami. The Tigers hope to see Klubnik deliver in clutch situations like he did on the game-winning drive in the Gator Bowl.

Swinney said Klubnik was responsible for eight of the 28 sacks he took last season. He emphasized the junior must take care of the ball and have better pocket and situational awareness to take the next step in his junior year.

“He’s got to get bigger, got to get stronger,” Swinney said. “… He’s got to have a little more collision girth or collision sustainability.”

With maturity and another year in offensive coordinator Garrett Riley’s system, his growth will be paramount for the Tigers this season.

Two key starting positions are up for grabs

There will be…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/where-clemson-football-dabo-swinney-010330958.html

Author : Greenville News

Publish date : 2024-02-29 01:03:30

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