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Update from Rubbing the Rock on Clemson’s Fall Camp

By Jake Mastroianni

Apr 9, 2016; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) and head coach Dabo Swinney look on during the second quarter of the spring game at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2016; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) and head coach Dabo Swinney look on during the second quarter of the spring game at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports /
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With just two weeks left before the start of college football season and the big Auburn-Clemson game, we caught up with Andrew Boardwine, editor of Rubbing the Rock, to discuss how Clemson’s fall Camp went.

The 2016 Clemson football fall camp has come to a close, but there are still several storylines heading into the final two weeks of the preseason.

Clemson has had several freshmen step up and avoid redshirts, while also competing for starting positions.

Dexter Lawrence, a true-freshman defensive tackle who weighed in at 342 pounds, has been a huge – pun intended – part of the defensive line, and he is poised to play a ton of snaps this upcoming season.

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He very well may need to because Clemson is thin at defensive end.

Austin Bryant, Clemson’s leading returner at defensive end, fractured his foot in a freak mishap at practice and will miss the first few weeks of the season.

That very well may move starter Christian Wilkins from defensive tackle to defensive end.

If that wasn’t enough, freshman defensive end Xavier Kelly was injured in a moped accident just a few days ago. He is expected to be back at practice next week, but the defensive line could be very thin for Clemson.

While there is still plenty of depth at defensive line, there is not a lot of experience and that is one concern for the season-opener with Auburn.

A place where there are nearly no questions is on the offensive side of the ball.

Clemson returns nearly everyone at all the skill positions and are primed to have one of the best offensive lines in the country.

Put that all together with a Heisman candidate at quarterback in Deshaun Watson, and you understand why many consider Clemson to be the favorite to win the National Championship.

Wide Receiver Mike Williams is back after rehabbing a neck injury and he looks to be in 2014 form when he was an All-ACC caliber player.

Freshman running back Tavien Feaster will also make an impact as many are comparing him to former Clemson Tiger C.J. Spiller, but with way more size.

That has basically been the storyline of the entire fall camp; Dominant offense. Improving defense.

Clemson will need to continue to see improvement on the defensive side of the ball and on special teams if they want to make another run at the College Football Playoff.

Speaking of special teams, Clemson now has Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables working on special teams and they will be playing many more starters on the kickoff and punt teams due to the horrible coverage the team had just a year ago.

Overall, it has been a good camp with minimal injuries for Clemson football, and now they will begin to focus solely on Auburn for the next couple of weeks.

Next: Auburn Football: Early Preview of Iron Bowl

Huge thanks to Andrew and Rubbing the Rock for taking the time to update us on Clemson football as we get ready for that primetime matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 3.

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