Now that the NCAA has rejected the appeals of tight end Braden Galloway and offensive lineman Zach Giella, what does it mean for the Tigers in 2019?
In case you don’t know, Galloway’s and Giella’s lawyer announced on Friday his two clients will be suspended for the 2019 football season after the NCAA denied their appeals from a positive test in which a trace of a banned substance called Ostarine was found in their system back in December of 2018. Both players were suspended for the College Football Playoff and the National Championship Game.
Giella’s absence will not hurt the Tigers as bad. The redshirt senior is a reserve offensive lineman that was expected to help with depth in the fall.
However, Galloway is a whole different situation.
The coaching staff was hopeful the sophomore would get the opportunity to challenge for a starting spot at tight end this fall. With Galloway now sidelined for the entire season, Clemson has just two scholarship tight ends currently on the roster … redshirt junior J.C. Chalk and freshman Jaelyn Lay.
At 6-foot-3, 260 pounds, Chalk has the size of a prototypical tight end, but in his first three years in the program he is known more for his ability to block than to catch passes. However, in high school, in Argyle, Texas, he caught 48 passes for 545 yards and seven touchdowns during his senior year. So, the potential is there.
In his Clemson career thus far, Chalk has four receptions for 40 yards and no touchdowns.
As mentioned, Lay is a freshman and is raw at that. The Clemson coaches really like his potential and they think his ceiling is extremely high.
But the problem is he is still growing into his body and he has a lot to learn about the position. He enrolled in school this past January at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds. He made progress in the spring, but how much will he really know about Clemson’s tight end position by the Tigers’ first game of the season on Aug. 29?
Lay is one of the top five tight ends/H-backs coming out of high school, according to Rivals. The Atlanta native had 29 receptions for 290 yards and four touchdowns last fall.
Clemson also moved a couple of walk-ons in the spring from linebacker to tight end to help prepare and add some depth. Later this summer, freshman Davis Allen (6-5, 220) will be on campus, but he will be limited as well.
Allen signed with Clemson last December but did not enroll in school early. He ranked as the 15th best tight end /H-back in the country coming out of high school. He earned first-team All-Region honors on offense and defense.
The Tigers are having to replace graduates Milan Richard and Cannon Smith, along with redshirt senior Garrett Williams, who is likely going to give up football to join the military. Williams was out this spring due to a knee injury. This is why having Galloway back was so important to the team.