Marion Hobby was brought on the staff back in January when Chris Rumph decided to leave for the DE position at Alabama, giving the 2011 national champions their third former Clemson assistant on the staff. Hobby was a former DL/DE coach at Clemson until the New Orleans Saints made him an offer after the 19-10 defeat of Colorado in the Tangerine Bowl following the 2005 season. In that year we did notice some improved technique from the Ends and wanted to keep Hobby, but the Saints made too good of an offer. In his 2 years with the Saints he coached DE Will Smith to the Pro Bowl, and in one of those years they made the appearance in the NFC Title game. The Saints went 10-6 and 7-9 in those seasons under Sean Payton, improving from 3-13 in Jim Haslett's final year. He left there and went to Duke under his friend David Cutcliffe as DL coach and Co-DC.

Dan Brooks was another home run hire for Swinney after David Blackwell left for South Florida. He had not been retained on the staff by Lane Kiffin and was in an administrative facilities management role for Tennessee when Steele and Dabo called him up and offered him a job on the field coaching again. His track record includes coaching stops at Florida under Pell and Galen Hall, UNC under Mack Brown, and then Fulmer at UT. At all these places he built up a strong record of recruiting prowess and many times his DL led the ACC/SEC in sacks.

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This is a live post, and will remain on the left-hand sidebar to keep track of our current numbers. Below is the year-by-year breakdown of scholarships, which must be set at 85 in August. Only 25 maximum new enrollees for Fall per signing class. If we have made a mistake, please let us know, we want it to be as accurate as possible.

Below, we are not counting the walk-ons we feel may not be renewed.

2012 Scholarship Numbers

Player Position	2012	2013	2014	2015
QB (5)		Tajh Boyd*	Cole Stoudt	Tony McNeal* Morgan Roberts* Chad Kelly
RB (5)	Andre Ellington*	Roderick McDowell*	D.J. Howard* Mike Bellamy	Zac Brooks
FB (1)				Colton Walls*
TE (5)	Brandon Ford*	Darrell Smith*	Sam Cooper*	Eric MacLain* Jay Jay McCullough
WR (8)	Jaron Brown*	Deandre Hopkins	Sammy Watkins Charone Peake Martavis Bryant Adam Humphries	Stanton Seckinger* Germone Hopper
OT(6)		Brandon Thomas*	Gifford Timothy*	Shaq Anthony* Isaiah Battle Oliver Jones Joe Gore*
OG(6)		Tyler Shatley*	David Beasley* Reid Webster* Kalon Davis*	Patrick Destefano Spencer Region*
C(3)	Dalton Freeman*			Ryan Norton* Jay Guillermo
DT(11)			Josh Watson* Tra Thomas* Grady Jarrett DeShaun Williams Tavaris Barnes*	Kevin Dodd Carlos Watkins Josh Brown Roderick Byers* Jerome Maybank* D.J. Reader
DE(4)	Malliciah Goodman		Corey Crawford	Martin Aiken Shaq Lawson
LB (11)	Jonathan Willard* Corico Hawkins*	Spencer Shuey* Justin Parker Quandon Christian*	Stephone Anthony Tony Steward Vic Beasley* Lateek Townsend	T.J. Burrell B.J. Goodson*
Safety (7)	Rashard Hall* Jonathan Meeks		Garry Peters* Robert Smith	Ronald Geohaghan Cordrea Tankersley Cortez Davis*
Corner (6)	Xavier Brewer*	Darius Robinson Martin Jenkins	Bashaud Breeland*	Marty Williams Travis Blanks
PK (3)	Spencer Benton*	Chandler Catanzaro		Ammon Lakip*
P(1)				Bradley Pinion
Specialists (1)		Philip Fagjenbaum
Totals (83)	11	13	25	34 (14 RS*)

*-has had a redshirt year.

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2009 Assessment -- 2010 Assessment -- 2011 Assessment


What is important, far more than some stupid star ratings and Rivals/Scout/ESPN rankings, is whether the signing class fills the needs of the program. Just signing 5-star backs every year doesn't equate to wins if you don't have 5 good OL up front with backups that can play in case of injury. It doesnt matter to put up 40 points if you give up 42. Below we'll look over the depth charts and give our thoughts as to whether the class really is good for Clemson.

DE - Gone are Andre Branch and Kourtnei Brown, one starter and another seasoned backup. Malliciah Goodman returns on the strongside but is not a good pass rusher. Corey Crawford is likely to step right in as the starter on the weakside, and I'm confident he can become a good pass rusher. The questions are on the backups at each spot. Tavaris Barnes never got any PT at the 3-technique last year, partly due to the lack of mass, so it is possible he moves back outside. Kevin Dodd is coming in from Hargrave as a 3-technique, but could help out as a SDE. Rod Byers took a RS and could start out at DE but seems an eventual DT. Vic Beasley shuffled from TE-LB-Bandit and couldn't get on the field the last couple years. A year of weight gains would be great for him to play as Crawford's backup. Goodman will be gone in a year, so you need to replace the two losses and plan to take another with lead time of a year, and possibly RS some of them. Newcomers Martin Aiken and Shaq Lawson fill those needs, but we'll probably be forced to play at least one of them. We're decent with numbers here, but it would be preferable to have another that we know can play without needing freshmen to play. What we believe Clemson missed out on, again, is the elite DE prospect who could provide immediate help in the pass rush. I would've liked to have another quality DE even if he wasn't the elite one.

DT - Clemson loses NG Brandon Thompson and 3-DT Rennie Moore. Both are starters. From the play this season, it was obvious that we don't have an heir apparent for BT just yet, and we need better gap control from the 3 in the run game. Tyler Shatley often played most as the NG backup, but is not a talented player, and will get a shot at OG in Spring. The rest of this bunch is young. DeShawn Williams looks like he could be slotted at NG or the 3, and Grady Jarrett is a NG all the way. I think both can be good players down the road. Tavaris Barnes is a 3-technique pass rushing type but never got on the field. Jerome Maybank comes off a RS and is a definite NG unless he plays OG. Rod Byers seems an eventual 3. Tra Thomas (NG) and Josh Watson (3) have been passed by youngsters and may just be role players, or may leave. We needed a high-level talent at DT, not bodies. Clemson got one in 3-DT Carlos Watkins. Clemson also added NG D.J. Reader, 3-DT Josh Brown, and 3-DT Kevin Dodd. I think the coaches foresee some attrition at this position and filled the needs with good lead time. We actually have too many tackles so moving the tweeners inside and out next month should be expected.

LB - Daniel Andrews is leaving. Clemson really does not need a LB from a numbers perspective, especially when only 3-5 ever played. However it is nice to have up to 12 in a 4-3 defense. Venables' scheme is the 4-3 Over which uses a different WILL and SAM prototype than the previous scheme (and more specifically the SAM), but in much the same fashion as Steele's, he goes to 4-2-5 often and that muddles it a bit. Everyone who played returns but we could cherry-pick since Willard and Hawkins will go after '12. We signed T.J. Burrell, who I would say is better suited to a SS that drops down often instead of a full-time WLB. Clemson lost one, gained one, and isn't in big trouble beyond without major attrition losses. We need to develop what we've got.

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Bryant locker room speech to incoming freshmen

Recruit - Proj. position at CU - HS - any film I can get - vitals - rankings from Rivals and some of our thoughts after looking at their film.

Enrolled Commitments:

Isaiah Battle - OT - Blue Ridge Prep, VA --> Fork Union - HS Film -- 6'7" 270lbs, 3-star Offensive Tackle - #36 OT nationally and #11 in VA out of HS. 4-Star prep OT, #5 overall prep player. Offers from New Mexico and ECU out of HS. Basically he's a project. Football IQ is low and hasn't been taught things, so a year at Fork Union has been greatly beneficial to him. His frame is huge and his speed is very good (4.83 40), he's strong, but needs some coaching. He does not stay low enough, nor does he extend his long arms well enough, but he's got the physical makeup to play for Clemson a lot this fall. We do not think he takes a RS, and project him at least on the 2-deep at LT. He was originally recruited by Andre Powell. Pearman tends to take the mid-atlantic area prep schools.

Kevin Dodd - DT - Riverside HS, Greer SC --> Hargrave Military Academy - no film - 6'5" 280lb, 4.8 40, 3-star DT - #14 player in SC out of HS- #7 overall Prep player and top DT at 4 stars this year in Prep. Clemson is the only offer. Flown under the radar a bit because he didn't take up football until recently, so he's very raw. He has a powerful first step and like most guys this size in HS, he just outmuscles his opponent instead of using his hands or any technique, which is understandable if he has not been coached. Pad level is wayyyyy too high. Guys this size tend to get moved inside to DT eventually, so I do expect him to end up at the 3-technique. Really showed out at the Shrine Bowl Camp, that resulted in him winning the offer. Unlikely to RS. Originally recruited by Andre Powell, with assistance from Jeff Scott. Pearman tends to take the mid-atlantic area prep schools.

Travis Blanks - CB/S - N. Florida Christian HS, Tallahassee FL - Film 1, 2, 3 - 6'1" 195lb 4.4 40', 4-star Safety -- #4 Safety nationally and #12 player in FL, #60 in Rivals100. Offered by everyone in the southeast, but UGA was a prime contender early on. What stands out most is that he's already got the ball skills and instincts you want in an elite CB, along with exceptional speed and good footwork. He's got the frame size to be physical and isn't scared of laying a hit either. Hip flexibility is very good, but he can be overaggressive with his hands. Blanks open field tackling is quite good, showing that he's been taught well on his fundamentals. He is a 2012 US Army All-American. Not a RS. Recruited by Jeff Scott.

Zac Brooks - RB - Jonesboro HS, Jonesboro AR - film - 6'2" 190lb 4.53 40', 4-star Athlete - #15 athlete and #202 in the Rivals250, #1 player in Arkansas. Offered by Arkansas, Auburn, Notre Dame and UNC among others. Brooks wasn't even recruited heavily by us until the end of March. Played RB as a Jr and Sr, WR as a soph. He's specifically recruited to be RB here, but in this offense the RB position is meant to be a good receiving position as well. His film shows he will go up for a football and his breakaway speed is outstanding. As a runner he does look like a WR-convert taking the football. He seems to be one of those guys that is simply a good athlete in that he's not excellent in any particular area but is good at everything he tries to do. As a college RB he'd need to add some lower body mass because he's pretty thin on tape. I doubt he takes a RS, unless Bellamy and some others put it all together this offseason. Recruited by The Chad.

Patrick Destefano - OG - Dorman HS, Spartanburg SC -film 1, 2 - 6'4" 275lb 5.3 40', 3-star OT - #28 player in SC. He chose CU over verbal offers from Duke, SC, Penn State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, and UNC among others. He was invited to the US Marines Corp All-American squad. Graded natinnally as a Tackle, but definite Guard here. Played a lot as a blocking H-back/TE at Dorman as well. I’ve seen him play many times over the years, even before his back injury. In my opinion the 5.7 3-star rating is correct, he is not a 4-star caliber player. His foot quickness is good and he moves well for a big guy, so his pass blocking has been OK against some good DEs in the area. The reason why he isn’t rated higher is his run blocking and a lack of strength. At his size, he should dominate more than he does, and since Dorman uses a heavy package out of the Wildcat, I would’ve expected him to show up more on run film than pass, and he doesn’t. Needs to use his legs better to drive people, and get lower. Doesn't seem to play angry and needs to hit the weight room. Definite RS. Recruited by Jeff Scott.

Jay Guillermo - OC - Maryville HS, Maryville TN - film 1, film 2 film 3- 6'2" 287lb 3-star OC - #13 Center overall, #17 player in TN. Pursued by Miami FL and Cincinatti, but ended his recruitment very quickly last winter. US Army All-Combine team Center and AA. Always felt like Guillermo was a bit underrated, because he's done well at camps. Needs to work on his punches but has really good pad level and power off the snap, and holds his leverage well. Likely RS, but watch what they do with Norton in this position. Recruited by Dan Brooks.

Oliver Jones - OT - Ninety-Six HS, Ninety-Six SC - film - 6'6" 320lb 3-star OT - #17 player in SC. Offers from SC, ECU, NC and NC State. Had he not suffered the ACL injury that cost him his Jr season, there likely would be far more offers on his plate, and a maybe higher rating, but his knee bend is good in a pass set. Having seen Jones, I'm not thrilled with his lack of aggression at all. He needs to reshape his body a little because he's put on some weight. Also he needs lateral footwork coaching, which is bad because he's more of a pass blocker than rush, and thats because of that lack of aggressiveness. He just isn't a mean player yet. That is why I feel the 3-star rating is correct. Athletically he's got it, however. Likely RS. Recruited by Charlie Harbison and Jeff Scott.

Bradley Pinion - P - NW Cabarrus HS, Concord NC - film, film 2 - 6'5" 220lb 3-star Kicker - #4 Kicker nationally. Offered by UNC, ECU and TCU. At just about every camp he attends, he kicked off through the endzone and boomed punts as long as 65+ yards. Only complaint I see anywhere is that he's slow with the punt, and despite his booming kicks at camps, his HS Jr. average was still 38yds. US Army All-American. Highly unlikely to RS. Recruited by Brooks initially, then Pearman.

Martin Aiken - DE - Bamberg-Ehrhardt HS, Bamberg SC -film, film 2, film 3 - 6'3" 245lb 4.9 40' 3-star DE - #25 SDE nationally and #8 player in SC. Offered by GT, Auburn, SCe, UNC, USC, and Tennessee among others. Grew up a Clemson fan and was coming here all along. Aiken is listed as a Strongside End but at this weight he's almost guaranteed to be moved to Bandit End until he grows. His best skill on tape is his first step off the snap, but he's not so much a power guy as he is simply faster than everyone he faces. Aiken is very quick for a big guy and his agility/footwork is good for his size. As good as his footwork is, with the addition of Hobby's hand technique teaching, he could be a very good football player here. He even has a reputation as a mean player, so I like him already. Unlikely to RS, but depends bigtime on Lawson too (see below). Recruited by Marion Hobby.

Josh Brown - DT - South Aiken HS, Aiken SC - film 1, film 2 - 6'4" 292lb 4.91 40' 3-star DT - #19 player in SC. Had no notable offers. High 2-star/low 3 is accurate. Brown has largely flown under the radar and his possible academic troubles have scared away some programs. He has good foot quickness for a big guy, but his pad level is high, which is normal for a 6'4" guy in HS. And it is possible he tries out along the OL if the numbers crunch at DT kept him off the field. He played OT as a Junior. Registered 90 tackles, 22 TFL and 8 sacks as a senior. An aggressive and strong player as well. Definite RS. Recruited by Harbison with Brooks.

T.J. Burrell - WLB/SS - Goose Creek HS, Goose Creek SC - film 1, 2, 3 - 5'11" 200lb 4.7 40 3-star OLB - #26 player in SC. Offered by SC, Illinois. Plays for former Danny Ford assistant Chuck Reedy. I think a low 3-star/high 2-star rating is accurate. Burrell is not quite bulky enough to play SAM or MIKE, and would be a WILL linebacker or SS here. Size is really the main question mark for Burrell. As a player he's fast and likes to hit. He doesn't wrap up as well as I'd like. His pad level is good and you can tell he's been coached on his fundamentals. He sets his base and takes on the blocker like you would want to see. His backpedal/slide can be cleaned up some but he's got a good starting point. His highlight film even shows him in coverage, which is rare for LBs. Given what Clemson has at LB, I'm not thrilled with this commitment. I think CU could've gotten a better player here but didn't try hard enough earlier on in the process. I expect a RS. Recruited by Tony Elliott.

Ronald Geohaghan - SS - Allendale-Fairfax HS, Fairfax SC - film 1, film 2, film 3 - 6'0" 185lb 4.59 40' 4-star Safety. #10 Safety overall and #5 player in SC, formerly Rivals250. Offers from UNC, NC State, SC. Probably a SS at Clemson. A safety that plays more like a linebacker, and played LB as a Jr. Good speed, and plays aggressive to the ball. He'll need to really work on his coverage skills because he looks a bit weak there. I expect a RS. Recruited by Marion Hobby.

Germone Hopper - WR - Phillip Berry Academy, Charlotte NC - film 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 - 6'0" 165lb 4.4 40' 4-star WR. #11 WR nationally and #5 player in NC, #75 in Rivals100. Would be higher if he was bigger. Offers from everywhere. Hopper is tailor-made for this offense because he's a bit of a tweener slot WR/back. His agility and explosiveness are great, hands are good, and his feet move so fast that you can't see them. This one can be a special player. Will not RS. Grew up a Clemson fan, recruited by Dan Pearman.

Chad Kelly - QB - St. Josephs, Buffalo NY - film 1, film 2, film 3 - 6'3" 208lb 4.6 40' 4-star QB. #1 in NY, #4 QB nationally and #150 national player. Offered by Alabama, Penn State, FSU, Michigan State. Physically he is a fit for our system, and his coaching on footwork has been good on film, but we saw some happy feet in the UA game. He throws really well on the run and the system he played in HS translates well to our own. His arm strength is not the greatest, but otherwise his mechanics are pretty sound and he throws a nice enough ball. He has a bit of a tendency to take it himself too much, but I'm not alarmed with that....pretty standard for a HS QB that can run this good. My problem is more off-the-field. Chad has played on 3 teams because he's quit or got kicked off, for reasons I do not know. At one time he played in Pennsylvania and was dismissed from his team midseason, after that he moved to Buffalo. He already called out Cole Stoudt on twitter, where I'm sure his days as an account holder are numbered. Dabo better put him on twitter lockdown from Day 1. All that I can say is that I get a "prima donna" vibe here and I never like that. I doubt he takes a RS, but I would put him on one. Recruited by Chad Morris.

Shaq Lawson - DE - Daniel HS, Central SC - no avail film - 6'3" 240lb 4.6 40' 4-star DE. #3 player in SC, #19 DE overall. Offered by Maryland and Tennesee as well, but was Clemson's all the way. His motor and first step looks very good on highlight clips, which is always the first thing to look at with a defensive lineman, and his long arms and overall lower body strength is good. Speed is very good, pad level is good too. I think 4-stars is right for him, and I don't think he has gotten the pub that he should've. I don't think he RSs, but it may depend on which DE can play Weakside behind Crawford (him or Aiken) in '12. Hard to say who gets credit for the commit here, since the school is right there at CU. We'll give it to Steele and Hobby.

Jay Jay McCullough - TE - Nation Ford HS, Fort Mill SC - film 1, film 2, film 3 - 6'5" 232lb 4.5 40' 3-star Athlete. #27 player in SC. An incredibly athletic, physically imposing prospect, McCullough is a high school running back with breakaway speed. At camps this spring and summer McCullough showed his athletic ability, beating many top defensive prospects deep. However, he was unable to turn most of those opportunities into big plays, and showed he was not very comfortable as a TE at this point. I expect a RS. Recruited by Jeff Scott.

Cordrea Tankersley - S - Silver Bluff HS, Aiken SC - film - 6'2" 195lb 4.4 40' 3-star Safety. #10 player in SC, and #39 safety nationally. Offers from Miami and SC. Tankersley has been recruited to play DB at Clemson, but plays both ways at Silver Bluff and is the QB, leading rusher, and a part-time pass defender. Unfortunately there is not enough film of him as a DB to get a solid footing for any assessment of his ability with the ball in the air. I would bet that he needs considerable attention to his footwork if he played mostly offense. I can see that he's going to be big a CB if he goes that route, but his frame says Safety, and he doesnt appear to be scared of laying a hit, and has a developed lower body (arms are pretty skinny still). He's a bit stiff on defense, so I wouldnt be surprised to see him ever line up at WR, but he did OK at DB in the Shrine Bowl. I expect him to RS. Recruited by Charlie Harbison.

Carlos Watkins - DT - Chase HS, Forest City NC - film - 6'4" 275lbs 5.2 40' 4-star DT. #8 DT overall, #104 in Rivals250 and #7 player in NC. Offered by everyone, but Florida was the true competition. Carlos Watkins is the type of top-flight DT that Clemson needed to pull in this year. Watkins is big, even for a HS tackle, and a powerful rusher. His first step is really quick, and his shuttle time of 4.66 is pretty good for the size. Chase does not play the best competition, but what he does face he dominates. He has a decent rip move, but he will need real technique work to dominate this way in college. Not a refined pass rusher, Carlos is one of those guys who bulldozes HS OL because he's so much bigger. Plays high with his pads, which isnt uncommon at 6'4, but he does use his hands well. I think he could play the NG or 3, but probably starts out at 3. Even with our high numbers at DT because of the large class we took in the last cycle, I do not see Watkins taking a redshirt in 2012. Recruited by Dan Brooks.

Marty Williams - CB/S - Fox Creek HS, N. Augusta SC - film 1, film 2- 6'1" 200lbs 4.6 40' 3-star Athlete. #47 athlete nationally and #16 player in SC. Offered by ECU, SC, Notre Dame and Miami. It is debatable how many were committable offers aside from ECU. He's not so high regarded more because of grades than ability. We think Williams is better than Elder, a high 4-star DB in Alabama who considered CU strongly. Williams' rating of 3 stars is fair only in that he doesn't get much opportunity to showcase his coverage skills as the QB at Fox Creek. In that sense he's in a similar situation as Cordrea Tankersley. We don't have much to grade besides his athleticism, but we do notice the hip flexibility. Because of that lack of defensive work, he would likely be a RS.

D.J. Reader - NG - Grimsley HS, Greensboro NC - film, film 2, film 3 - 6'3" 306lb 4.98 40' 3-star OG. #20 player in NC and #19 OG nationally. Prime contender for him was Maryland, but was offered by UNC, Auburn, and SC. Reader was recruited to play OG at some places but is set to play Nose Guard on defense here. Reader doesn't have the great first step, but his pads stay low enough, his motor runs, and he plays mean. On film he's another guy who uses his size and muscle to beat his opponent instead of technique. I could see how some offered him as an OG as well because he does anchor well. He wants to play baseball as well, but he'd better be in good shape to play for Jack Leggett. Likely RS. Recruited by Dan Brooks.

Clemson had a commitment from Javarius Leamon, who was the in-state OT we wanted most. Unfortunately he won't sign a LOI because his grades are so bad, but Clemson offered to place him in a JUCO or a call to SC State. It appears that is where he'll go.

Editor's Note: Season Review posts are intended as summaries of the season for use as a single reference later, not exhaustive review posts.

2009 Season Review

2010 Season Review


Our plan for the future with respect to football is to begin releasing position-by-position reviews and prospectus. We think it is best to evaluate the coaches based on their entire body of work, and this involves recruiting. The ones who are gone will not be affected and we doubt what we have to say will truly influence any recruits before signing day, so expect to see them in the next two weeks.

This post is intended as a review down the road, in case we need to look at what happened in the past, so short synopses are given, and we specifically track the QB play, OL play, defensive performance, etc. to see how they varied throughout the year to tell a short story of the 2011 season.

2011 Season Schedule & Results

Opponent	Score	Opp Final Record	Standing
Troy	W 43-19	3-9	7th Sun Belt
Wofford	W 35-27	8-4	2nd SoCon (1-AA)
Auburn	W 38-24	8-5	4th SEC West
Florida State	W 35-30	9-4	2nd ACC Atlantic
Virginia Tech	W 23-3	11-3	1st ACC Coastal
Boston College	W 36-14	4-8	5th ACC Atlantic
@ Maryland	W 56-45	2-10	6th ACC Atlantic
UNC	W 59-38	7-6	4th ACC Coastal
@ GT	L 31-17	8-5	2nd ACC Atlantic
Wake Forest	W 31-28	6-7	3rd ACC Atlantic
@ NC State	L 37-13	8-5	4th ACC Atlantic
@ South Carolina	L 34-13	11-2	2nd SEC East
ACCCG: Virginia Tech	W 38-10	11-3
Orange Bowl: West Virginia	L 70-33	10-3	Big East Champs
Final Record	10-4 (7-2 ACC)	106-74
ACC Champions

Biggest Win: Auburn was defending National Champions, but winning at night in Lane Stadium and the ACC in Charlotte are the biggest wins.

Worst Defeat: All of them were bad. Clemson was essentially run off the field in every loss.

Record in Death Valley: Unbeaten

Final Ranking: 22 AP, Coaches. 15th in BCS. 32 in FEI.

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Ed. Note: Since my expertise doesn't include information on the different training regimens, we decided to ask around to High School assistant coaches and strength coaches on what they see with the program. This article is a product of that, and as such is not primarily our own writing.We’ve tried to glean as much info from as many sources as possible, because we think it important to remedy the problems with S&C at Clemson.

Many people question why the heat is so hot on the S&C program right now. We don't think many fans realize what exposure is allowed in NCAA now with regards to coaching. The 11 football coaches don't have unlimited access to the team throughout the offseason. Players cannot be coached in a practice setting year-round because of the NCAA limitations. In fact, actual practice is limited to 2 weeks worth of spring practices (which is stretched out for a month at Clemson), twice that in August, and 2 more weeks of bowl preparation practices. Even then, practices and meetings are limited in timespan by the 20 hour rule. In the offseason, the players can speak to the coaches and watch film of course, but it cannot be required or punished if not attended. The coaches cannot take them outside to the fields and drill them or teach. However, the S&C coach has full access year-round with the team, because they do still get time to train. Football games in October and November are won in the 8 months prior. That is why the best coaches put a premium on hiring the right S&C coach.

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Confirmed this morning, Oklahoma's Brent Venables has been hired as Clemson's new Defensive Coordinator and LB Coach. His salary at OU was roughly 440K, and its expected he'll get 800-850K at Clemson. He leaves OU after being stripped of playcalling duties for Bob Stoops' brother Mike, whom he shared DC duties with before Mike left for Arizona.

Venables is regarded there as one of the best recruiters on staff, and Stoops put up a fight to try and keep him. He's also been a good LB coach during his time there. Steele came in with similar creds, plus a good NFL pedigree as a LB coach.

The scheme he runs is from the Kansas State coaching tree style. It is a 4-3 OVER defense with varying amounts of Under depending on who they face (Under is what Steele ran against pro-personnel group offenses). I've watched OU a good bit over the years, and they will play more OVER (and nickel) against spread formations, but otherwise a good amount of Under. OU does pattern-read, and will play more zone than Clemson has played under Steele. Overall, Venables' scheme is not a great switch.

We are not terribly thrilled with the hire, as OU fans were not, in general, thrilled with Venables. The Sooners' defenses under his watch had one really good year, ranking 8th, but the rest ranked in the 50s. Many complain of his defenses being too complex for his players. Clemson's was worse than that this year, so improvement is expected, but I do not believe him an elite DC capable of putting Clemson where it should be based on our talent. OU had far more talent in his term there than we have had. Texas had similar talent and put up better numbers in the same conference and timeframe.

Due to lack of time and other articles in the works, no stat comparison will be coming today, but we'll be running multiple articles on Venables

I did not get a chance to watch Dabo's press conference today, but I did get to read the comments on twitter this afternoon and read some of the message board chatter about it. Tonight I did get to read it and listen to the presser, and oh boy.

Dabs started out thanking Steele for his contributions, said he was a friend, and said the parting was mutual. Well it wasn't mutual of course, because if The Sweatshirt wanted Steele to stay, he'd still be here. Steele did technically resign, and he is getting a chunk of his buyout amount, but maybe not the full amount he would if he were outright fired. I do think Steele turns out just fine as a LB coach again, and we'll see how much blame Dabo deserves for his defenses' performances this year. I'm not one to put total blame on a coordinator, as some other idiot fans think we were with the post below announcing his firing.

Is Steele still being paid then?

Yes

So he (Steele) resigned?

No he didn't resign, we both agreed that a change was needed we're going to honor his contract. Again, this allows him to pursue some opportunities that he has to look at.

So he didnt resign and he wasn't fired?

That would be correct.

So he will get a buyout?

Yes, we agreed a change was needed. I didnt want to have to fire him. We needed to talk through some issues and those couldnt be resolved.

What kind of philosophical differences were there?

"We’ll continue to be an aggressive attacking defense. It has to be the right. We may stay within staff. I’ve got great men. Whoever comes in has to have good chemistry. Just got going yesterday. Form a philosophical standpoint - lets attack and get after people. Multiple with our coverages. It’s not about scheme as other things.

So I'm missing something, philosophically you didnt agree but you dont want to change the philosophy?

I cant help you there. Its not about scheme, its other things.

Clear as mud. You can see it in the press conference video here. If you know who that was that asked those questions to clown the Clown in the middle and end of the presser, shake his hand.

Back to the opening statements...

"I’m not going to spend a lot of time on the Orange Bowl. It was poor performance. As I step back, you can’t let a terrible night let us lose sight of a special year. This is a roster that had 42 freshmen on it. I am proud of our football team. We had a great meeting last night. We made great progress in the last three years. This is the best season that Clemson has had in 20 years. I spent time with [former Clemson head coach] Ken Hatfield. We talked about that very thing. It’s hard for him to believe that it has been 20 years. He’s lived a lifetime. This team was special. They did something that will be remembered for a long time. The team has made a ton of progress. Nobody except the guys in this room believed that we would be ACC champions, win 10 games, play in the Orange Bowl."

Dabo is correct when he says you shouldn't let the fact that he let us get our asses kicked up and down the field by GT, NC State, SC and WVU color the results of the season. We did win 10 and the ACC. Thanks Chad. Unfortunately we've looked at the snap counts of this team in several posts here, and you weren't even playing the freshmen on the field, so don't give us the "oh we had 125 freshmen" excuse.

The primary freshmen (and RS Fr) who played major snaps were Breeland, Corey Crawford, Anthony, and our WRs. The rest weren't on the field when the defense got shredded by FSU's backup QB, Maryland's backup QB, BC's 4th string RB, SC's 4th string RB, NC State's backup RB, etc. It wasn't the 3rd string D-line that couldn't control Georgia Tech's front, or couldn't get pressure on Geno Smith, who had been sacked relentlessly in Big East play. It wasn't the 2nd string OL that got Tajh planted on his ass by Troy or Wofford either. Were we young in some places? Sure, but don't give me "oh we had a roster of freshmen" excuse. You guys couldn't get some of these freshmen onto the field.

And you had to mention HATFIELD didnt you?

Dabo was asked about his coaching search, which has at least 4 candidates. The first is known to be Oklahoma's Brent Venables, who I definitely do not want, and who OU fans want rid of, but he does follow the style that Dabo prefers on defense. Venables interviewed for the HC job before Dabo was hired. Another is possibly Charlie Harbison, who I am indifferent on as the Coordinator. I know Harbison thinks some of our packages are too complex for the kids to learn, so thats a plus. He'd like to have someone before signing day, which is definite.

As of last night, I’ve made contact. When this gets out in the public, at a place like Clemson, it doesn’t take long. It’s not fun to have a job opening. There’s a lot of great people you have to say no to. You can only say yes one time. I’m just starting that process.. We’ve contacted all those guys. No issues there. No time frame as to when. Just want to make right decision for staff, players, myself and Clemson. We’ll hire a great guy, a great footballl coach and will bring a lot to the table, and will fit in the culture at Clemson and will buy into the vision that we have. I have four or five names tha are pretty special. We’ll start there."

Yanity asked what his preferred base defense would be, and he said 4-3, but his response about Odd/Even fronts is no-BS. I think we have personnel to play either and the particular style is unimportant. What is important is hiring a good coach to run the defense. His scheme does not matter.

- Dabo announced that reserve FS Carlton Lewis will graduate and transfer to another school. This is one I wasn't expecting, but I do expect another, probably Matt Sanders.

- He expects no other coaches to leave at this time. I think one or two could possibly, depending on the specialties of the DC that is hired, but its too early to guess. Venables is a LB coach.

Dabo when you first took over you expressed a desire to be physically and mentally tough, especially on the offensive line, how much progress do you think you've made there?

See those three trophies? (ACC, ACC Atlantic, Bowl trophy) We've made great strides in that area....We're developing our linemen....thats where we've made a lot of progress.... Theres a standard that we've set and you have to be physically and mentally tough to reach it.

What? Way to bullshit a question about our pitiful OL and mental strength. I guess our mental strength was apparent to him when NC State and WV were putting up 100 points in a quarter. Then he pointed to Chris Hairston as an example of our great physical abilities and praised Antoine McClain and Landon Walker. All the others he mentioned as NFL greats we've put in the league from our OL get railed on by their fans, particularly Richardson at KC.

I was expecting David Hood to ask a question about Joey Batson and Caldwell, since TNet works for the AD anyway, but I don't know his voice from the others. Can someone verify who asked this?

Alot of the toughness questions go back to Joey Batson, it seems like there are websites (HAHAHA) dedicated to it now.

"That is a joke. That’s the problem. It’s crap like that I don’t know where it comes from. People have no clue. Batson is as good a strength coach as there is in the country. I have no idea. If he wasn’t a championship caliber guy, he wouldn’t be there. The discipline and accountability we have and the reason we don’t have crap is that goes on at other places is because of Batson. They respect him. The problem with the internet is that people have their own agendas. I don’t read any of it. Zero. (lie) That’s the devil’s playground. In fact I met with Jon Gruden and with Ron jaworski- they said ‘Your guys are physical and strong. I don’t see many teams that look like your guys.’ It’s an all-encompassing program and it starts with joey. He’s as good as it is out there. As is Abernathy and Greenlee. My standard is the best and if he couldn’t live up to the best he wouldn’t be there."

Never heard that it was a personal problem at all, more philosophic with recruiting and motivation/discipline of the OL....and I'm thrilled if he stays. I just want to see what happens after signing day.

Another reporter asked good questions at the end about toughness

How do you prevent losing again like you did this year, its almost like, in those 4 losses, you hit Clemson in the mouth and you've got them where you want them?

Did you watch the games? It starts with taking care of the football. That affects your momentum, your psyche. Come turn on the film and say Brandon Thompson aint tough. We just got beat. Did you predict us to be 14-0?

Did I? No.

OK, did you predict us to be 10-4?

I thought possibly.

OK, you need tough guys to get it done. You dont win 10 games if youre not tough. You dont win in Blacksburg if you aint tough. We had the 2nd largest comeback in the history of this school. At Maryland, 18 down. Came back from 14 3 times, Never been done. Get your facts right.

Fantastic Dabo, laud them for coming back to win games they should've won without a doubt in the first place. Auburn? OK. Not Maryland.

LW asked him offline, after the Assistant SID hurried him out of the room because of the heat, about the comments made by WVU players about our OL. He dismissed it totally as internet stuff.

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Two years ago Derek Dooley and Tennessee came after Kevin Steele and Clemson upped the ante to keep him here, but now he's out. We have no idea whether he has found another LB job (Green Bay is a possibility) or if he actually wishes to retire, but his office has been cleaned out before Dabo even returned from the AFCA convention.

We have looked at a few guys as possible replacements for Steele that we'd think would fit and could be talked into coming here: Jim Heacock from Ohio State (situation is in flux there), Bob Shoop from Vandy, Tom Bradley at Penn State, Chuck Heater from Temple (formerly Co-DC at Florida), Pat Narduzzi from Michigan State (unlikely as he just renegotiated), and Bill Clark from South Alabama. Randy Shannon had had a deal in place with Tennessee that fell through due to Shannon wanting a multi-year deal, but he is a possibility.

We have heard several disturbing things about Steele's possible psychological breakdown during the Orange Bowl game. Multiple sources have said that he was calling plays from his days with the Panthers, which aren't in the Clemson playbook, and as such the players were totally confused. It reportedly happened during the Auburn game as well. I do not know if that is true, and frankly think it a bit farfetched, but I do know that Steele has a reputation for being a nervous wreck on gamedays. I'm sure most of you recall that he passed out on the sidelines during a game, and I have heard many times that he requires an IV for fluids because he's such a wreck and won't eat at all on gameday. Hopefully he can get these things corrected for his own health.

For whatever reason, his inability to simplify his scheme for the players this year became the primary problem with Clemson's defense, which had been Top 25 the last two seasons. We do not believe Clemson has been as hampered by poor LB talent as many folks believe. I think even good players look like crap when they're too confused and haven't worked on fundamentals enough. We wish him luck in the future because we do think he has been a good coach over his career.

As you see, if the ducks quack loud enough, things happen. As for recruiting impact this weekend, I think it is going to be minimal unless we have a total philosophic shift on defense, and with Dabo's preference for tight coverage and pressure, I doubt that happens. Steele was not the chief recruiter for our defensive commitments this cycle.

I think most people will not want to read the debacle again, so I've decided to only do the textual review of the 1st half of the game. In the 2nd half, I'll review the film and note the players who appeared to quit, if its visible. I'll also be looking at some of the younger guys who got PT late in the game.

Note that I'm calling WV's shovel pass to Austin a Jet sweep, technically it is a pass, but works the same as a jet sweep.

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West Virginia will throw a new look at Clemson's offense that they have not faced this year. Defensive Coordinator Jeff Casteel employs a 3-3 Odd Stack defense that uses 3 down linemen who play similar to the usual 3-4 linemen, 3 quick linebackers and 5 DBs. While facing 4-2-5 or 4-1-6 defenses is pretty common when you play a set of spread formations like we do, very few teams base out of a 5 DB set with just 3 down linemen. It is not something our guys have seen, and given our demonstrated problems with picking up weird defensive looks, it could pose a problem for Clemson's front. The coverage flexibilities it allows could also pose problems for Boyd and our WRs. We felt it was necessary to give a primer on this defense because it is so different in the looks it throws at an offense, and it will enlighten those who did not understand Vic Koenning’s scheme.

What is the benefit to trying a 3-3-5 scheme? Versatility, deception, and adding speed on the field. The blitz can come from anywhere and it will come often. With 8 guys who have coverage skills, there will often be one
dropping that you do not expect to drop, and a blitzer that your OL has not accounted for. CBs playing press can blitz and the WR can be picked up fairly quickly. Safeties blitz and a speedy LB can drop immediately into that zone. It is also a defense based out of an 8-man front concept against pro personnel groupings. There is no front look that a 3-3 team can't employ to confuse. Also, adding the 5th DB in regular sets puts another guy with 4.5-4.6 speed on the field instead of a big slow lineman or moderately fast LB.

The real differences between a 3-3-5 and 3-4 are in the personnel used at LB and DB, along with the shifting used along the front. While 3-4 DL can have one-gap or two-gap alignments, Casteel's front uses a mix. The NG is nearly always aligned as a 0-technique, on the Center's head, and plays two-gap. The two DEs play either a 4i or 5 most of the time, and in pass-definite situations they'll play wider, in a 6 or more. This tells you that the DE's are not playing two-gap assignments. That means they are not trying to eat up OL to protect LBs, as two-gap 3-4 defenses do. They are trying to get pressure on the QB. These linemen do change their positions based on formation, whereas most 3-4 front teams do not. If the TE is weak/strong, they will stem the linemen so far as a 4i-0-7 alignment. Casteel also uses stunting between the DL and LBs very often.

LB positioning is not as set as 4-3 or 3-4 teams either. The LBs are almost never in the same place more than two plays in a row, and are constantly shifting positions based on call or formation. If the offense presents a power set, one will come to the LOS, either on a Guard or outside a Tackle. They have also shifted the LBs towards the strength and the DL away from it on film. However, with just 3 DL in front and only 3 LBs, these guys must be
very good tacklers. There is a method to their alignment changes, because they do remain a gap-aligned defense, and we’ll explain it below.

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Merry Christmas

A lot of people are going to react poorly to articles on this subject because they feel that anyone who chooses Clemson should be given his 4 years to play and make a difference, or that anyone who chooses Clemson becomes divine by donning the Orange. Unfortunately, serious programs don't follow that mold. You cannot win football games with players who don't play, and you only get 85 spots. Therefore, many won't like this discussion.

We do not support throwing off guys out of malice. However, major programs make it clear, in one way or another, that dead weight can't be retained. Rulebreakers get second and third chances here over the years, but at major programs that extra chance is not a given. Some get by with pushing players onto medical exemptions. Some outright tell guys who don't have a chance to contribute that they should go elsewhere for a chance at PT. It needs to be made clear, whether done tactfully or under another guise. If you want to win the big games, then guys who are passed on the depth chart need to look around. We need to fill our spots with youth that may contribute later.

I think its pretty easy to see by looking at the scholarship roster and the depth chart, along with the snap totals, who will make a difference in the near future and who should think about going somewhere else. Most folks seem dumbfounded when a player is suggested as needing to transfer, especially through orange-tinted glasses, but its not hard to figure out. We don't put those glasses on here too often, so we'll take a look at who should think about going elsewhere to finish his career in football and a few who we think have to be at least considering it.

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See the end for the summarizing thoughts. Please comment and ask questions on what you dont understand, these take a long time to do well. Our goal here is to look for good plays and bad technique. I may pull a few plays out to discuss the Clemson offense/defense, and if theres anything that you would like to see or have explained, just ask.

ESPN Play-by-Play

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Terms got out today of the Chads new contract: 1.3M per year for 6 years with a big buyout clause. It has several performance incentives like his last deal. It was 450K for 4. His new deal is currently longer than Swinney's, but you can expect that to change.

While I don't know what the buyout is, I would imagine it drops a good bit after 2013, which I think sets up to be a year that we could possibly push for something bigger than the ACC Championship, given the experience we'll have gained for the freshmen....assuming we bring in some damn OLmen and a new S&C coach.

Once Gus Malzahn takes a head job at Kansas, which I imagine will be this week or next, Chad would become the highest paid assistant in America. Dabo will also get an increase to the median of ACC coaches per his current deal, which I think pushes into the 2.2M range. Clemson's total staff salary in 2009 was 2.7M, and in '12 will be 5.7M.

Don't be surprised if your ticket prices go up again either.

Clemson won its 10th game and its biggest win in 20 years tonight. Even though there are many problems that remain with this program, we have reason to hold our heads high again because Clemson football got back to where we belong. We dominated the lines on both sides against a good Virginia Tech squad. Even though we couldn't do so against a weak NC State team, we should be proud of the effort by (most) our players tonight.

Clemson's defense and Kevin Steele deserve the game ball tonight because they brought the intensity that they have not brought into a game since leaving Blacksburg two months ago. We pressed gaps again. Our defense realized that you must attack plays instead of waiting for them to come to you. BT and Andre Branch both played well tonight and it was obvious that they were dominating VT's OL all night. Tech doesn't have the athleticism up front to help them in the pass rush. They actually tackled well as a team and Jonathan Meeks discovered that he does in fact have arms to wrap up with and intercept passes with. I saw Safeties making plays again. Our Corners matched up on them well all night and managed to recover when they lost leverage or a step on the receiver. I think the defense played its best game of the year tonight.

David Wilson ripped us in game 1, and O'Cain gift-wrapped this one for his alma mater by not spoonfeeding Wilson the ball all night. What was VT's gameplan? I recall thinking this after the first game, and I don't think they had much of one tonight either. It wasn't just that we were playing well up front and tackling. Tech didn't bring the same intensity and I don't think they had a good gameplan prepared for us. Tech did nothing unexpected and Clemson really did not have to make many adjustments on defense.

While Clemson's offense was a bit sloppy at times, they did not hand the game over to VT on a platter as they have tried to over the last month. We didn't turn it over, and it appeared that Morris made a concerted attempt to push the run game without hammering on the same play over and over. We'll look at that in the review to be sure. Our front was in max protect more than you probably noticed, but I don't think the pass blocking was good at all in this game. Even though Antoine McClain decided to not play tonight, the rest brought it in the 2nd half and we moved the ball inside running it, and that lessened the pressure on Tajh in the 2nd. Price fought but it was clear he wasn't 100%, and looked confused by the pressures Tech brought. I'll still take 4 more of him anytime.

I don't recall a Clemson WR dropping a ball tonight, and a healthy Sammy Watkins is still uncoverable by Tech. They tried to take away our underneath routes, with the same strategy as last time, but he and Allen pose too much of a matchup problem for Tech's secondary...especially with Hosley out of the game. Clemson picked on his backup immediately and they could not adjust. Its not about scheme, its about players. Clemson had more skill players than they had answers, and we brought more intensity all around.

Unfortunately the last three weeks are a prime example of why its so hard to be a Clemson fan. We look like Chicken shit two weeks and Chicken salad the next. Until Clemson shakes this image, Dabo will never be totally secure in his position. Its quite hard to pick a team up from the last two weeks, and we've done that here, but youth or not there is no excuse for the last month of play. One game does not cure our ills. I don't think these problems have been fixed but wins do help.

Clemson will likely play West Virginia in the Orange Bowl on Jan 4. We've accomplished 2 big goals tonight, enjoy it.