The 12^th-ranked Clemson Tigers open camp today at 4 p.m. at the Indoor Practice Facility in Clemson. Over the next two weeks, the 2015 Tigers will begin to take shape as they prepare for their season-opener against Wofford on Sept. 5 in Death Valley.

The competition will be fierce during this time as there are several positions that are very much up in the air heading into training camp. The Clemson Insider takes a look at the five position battles you need to watch.

1. Cornerback: Mackensie Alexander already locked down one side of the field as he comes into the new season as one of the top corners in the country. But what about the other side? Cordrea Tankersley enters camp No. 1 on the depth chart, but it hardly means he will be the starter against the Terriers. Ryan Carter, Adrian Baker, Marcus Edmond and true freshman Mark Fields will all have a shot at winning the job as well. Carter and Baker are listed as second-team corners on the depth chart right now with Baker backing up Alexander and Carter listed as Tankersley’s backup. Tankersley won the battle in the spring, but it was perhaps the best competition battle in those 15 practices. Edmond was also nipping on Tankersley’s heels in the spring and there is talk Fields could come in and be every bit as good as Alexander and will take the position from them all.
2. Running back: It’s doubtful there is another position on Clemson’s roster as deep as the running back position. The Tigers have as many as six players they believe can be the guy when the season begins. Wayne Gallman, who rushed for nearly 600 yards in the final six games of the season, enters camp as the starter, but Tony Elliott says he is on a short leash. Behind Gallman are four other backs who started or were expected to start at one point or another in their careers. Zac Brooks was the projected starter heading into last season before breaking his foot the week before the season began. He is back and is coming off a spring in which he put himself in position to earn the starting job. C.J. Davidson started a game last season, and had a great spring game to conclude the spring. Tyshon Dye is perhaps the more natural running back of the group, as he has the vision and patience to really thrive in the Tigers’ zone-read concepts. He is finally healthy and enters camp much leaner and stronger than he has at any other point. Adam Choice is also back in the fold as he returns from knee surgery following last year’s torn ACL at Boston College. Choice was the starter before the injury, and reports from the summer say he is ready to compete in camp. C.J. Fuller, who redshirted last fall, was the biggest surprise in the spring and is expected to push the other five for playing time.
3. Tight end: Jordan Leggett and Stanton Seckinger come into the spring listed No. 1 and No. 2 on the depth chart, but in reality the position is wide open. The coaches are hoping this is the year Leggett puts it altogether and becomes the player they think he can be. Injuries, and a little bit of laziness in the past, has held him back. Seckinger is coming off knee surgery and it makes you wonder how far he might fall down the depth chart with guys like Milan Richard and Cannon Smith quickly moving up the depth chart. Richard has all the raw skills and talent to be the next Dwayne Allen, while Smith reminds the coaches a lot of Michael Palmer as he is both fundamentally and technically sound. The wildcard in the group, if he ever gets his head on straight, is Jay Jay McCullough, who is as talented as any of them. D.J. Greenlee is also expected to be back from injury and will be competing for playing time, while four-star recruit Garrett Williams, whose dad played at Florida State in the late 1980s under Bobby Bowden, has all the tools to be a great tight end.
4. Strong side linebacker: Korrin Wiggins is penciled in as the starter, which gives the Tigers flexibility because he is also listed as the starting nickel back. At 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, he is undersized to be a true strongside linebacker, which is where Dorian O’Daniel comes into the picture. O’Daniel has the athletic ability and skill to play both positions, but he lacks the knowledge of Brent Venables defense to truly own both. The return of Travis Blanks also gives a little intrigue to this position battle. As a freshman, Blanks started as a hybrid, as he truly can play both positions. At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds he is big enough to be a strongside backer and he is still small enough and athletic enough to play the nickel back position as well. The question about Blanks is his durability. He sat out last season to allow his knee to heal after having ACL surgery, yet he injured it again in bowl practice and missed all of the spring.
5. Center: Jay Guillermo’s return to camp automatically pushes starter Ryan Norton. If you recall, Guillermo took the starting position from Norton by the fourth game of the season last year, before an injury set him back, allowing Norton to reassume his role as the starter. It was a wakeup call for Norton, who finished the rest of the season playing his best football. Norton continued that in the spring, despite Guillermo taking a hiatus from the game while he worked through some personal issues. But Guillermo is back and he instantly was moved up to the No. 2 position on the depth chart where he will begin taking the same amount of snaps as Justin Falcinelli at second-team center. Guillermo returned to Clemson over the summer and was not in bad shape, though he had to get himself back in football shape. The coaches believe he will seriously push Norton for the starting spot at center by the end of camp.