Let me throw something at you.
Though Alabama was losing its starting quarterback and its Heisman Trophy running back, plus a few other key pieces from its 2015 National Championship Team, it returned for 2016 as the preseason No. 1-ranked team.
Why was that the case?
I can tell you why, the Crimson Tide returned all of the key players in the trenches on both the offensive and defensive lines. Granted, they had to break in a new quarterback and the running game was led by a committee instead of one player, but they went through the entire season, including in the big bad SEC, undefeated and for the most part destroying anyone who got in their way.
During the course of the year, all year heard was “It’s Alabama, then everyone else” when they talked about the best teams in college football.
For a little while, even some experts said freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts should be in the Heisman Trophy conversation. Hurts was a four-star prospect out of Texas and was rated as the No. 3 dual threat quarterback in the country coming out of the 2016 recruiting class.
Hurts had a sensational freshman season as he became the first true freshman to lead his team to the national championship game. However, though Hurts made his fair share of plays, Alabama did not lean on its quarterback to win games. Instead they leaned on a defense that was one of the best Alabama has ever had, which included a defensive front that was the best in the country.
Does any of that sound familiar?
The defending national champions will enter the 2017 football season with perhaps a freshman starting at quarterback, a new starter at running back and pretty much everyone back on the offensive and defensive lines. In other words, the Tigers are loaded with talent and depth in the trenches, which, as we all know, is where football games are won and lost.
Like Hurts did last year, true freshman Hunter Johnson enrolled at Clemson in January so he could participate in spring drills and put himself in the conversation to be the Tigers’ new starting quarterback. Granted he has to beat out junior Kelly Bryant and redshirt freshman Zerrick Cooper for the job, but he has the talent and the football IQ to do it.
Johnson was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 2 overall quarterback in the country in the 2017 haul. Could he or Cooper, a four-star prospect from the 2016 class, be Clemson’s version of Hurts?
Considering the Tigers could start a freshman quarterback, it is pretty obvious, especially early in the season, they will lean on a defense that returns seven starters from a unit that led the ACC in total defense (8th nationally), scoring defense and was second in passing defense.
The Tigers also led the ACC, and led the nation, in tackles for loss and was second in sacks and third nationally.
Like Alabama was a season ago, Clemson is loaded on the defensive line and some consider the Tigers to be the best in the country next season.
And though Clemson lost a lot of production from the 2016 offense—84 percent of its total yards and 89 percent of its touchdowns—it does return a lot of talent at the skill positions, something Alabama’s 2016 team was not deep at.
Wide receivers Deon Cain, Hunter Renfrow and Ray-Ray McCloud all return after having solid seasons a year ago. Cain and Renfrow showed off their star-power in the national championship game against that great Alabama defense.
Potentially, Tavien Feaster has the talent to better than the departing Wayne Gallman, who was one of the greatest running backs in Clemson history.
I doubt Clemson will get the same consideration Alabama got last year when it was replacing pretty much the same personnel. However, the Tigers will be a preseason top 10 team, and if they can successfully navigate through the first month of the season when they host Auburn and play at Louisville and Virginia Tech, then who knows? They might just find themselves back in the national championship game, just like Alabama did.
However, maybe Clemson will do something Alabama could not do when it got back to the title game. Maybe Clemson will win it.
We are now taking orders for our limited edition magazine Mission Accomplished. Remember Clemson’s championship season with this great magazine from the staff that covers Clemson football 365 days a year. Order your’s today to make sure you get a copy!
