Announcements today were released regarding Tony Elliott and CJ Spiller. What does this mean in layman’s terms? A lot actually.
First, consider you’re a 4-star or 5-star running back sitting in your house and you have a lineup of several running back coaches coming to your house to visit you and your family. Tennessee sends in their RB coach, then South Carolina, then Georgia, all power 5 schools. One left, and in the door walks former Clemson alumni and NFL Running Back C.J. Spiller. The man is a legend at Clemson, undoubtedly one of the best to ever play running back at Clemson. He can tell you the ins and outs of everything regarding Clemson. The sacrifices, the good parts, the school parts, the way the entire school, staff and student base will look at you and perceive you and be there for you. Advantage Clemson.
Another weapon in Spiller’s arsenal is the fact that OC Tony Elliott just signed a new contract that will keep him at Clemson for another three years. Elliott got a pay raise from $1.7 million to $2.0 million, making him the highest paid offensive coordinator in college football. Spiller and Elliott together is a dangerous combo.
It’s gonna be interesting to see how Elliott utilizes new starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who is more of a pocket passer than Trevor Lawrence was. Although both were “Pro-Style” quarterbacks coming out of high school, Lawrence turned out to be a weapon utilizing the RPO to perfection. Will the Clemson offense change gears with DJ? More two back sets and a more traditional Pro-Style offense?
The running back room comes back intact minus Travis Etienne, and with the addition of 5-star Will Shipley and 4-star Phil Mafah. The probable return of Justyn Ross more than makes up for the loss of Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell. Getting Frank Ladson and Joseph Ngata back healthy gives Elliott a lot of firepower for his new quarterback.
Will we see a change in the Clemson offense this year? Personnel wise, yes. Gone are Etienne, Powell, and Rodgers. Gone is Jackson Carman and Cade Stewart. Lyn-J Dixon is the front runner to start at RB but will he. How good is incoming freshman Shipley? Will he bypass Chez Mellusi, Darien Rencher, Michael Dukes and Kobe Pryor? What about another incoming freshman Mafah.
The spring game on April 3rd is going to be interesting to watch for many positions. It’s going to be really good to see C.J. Spiller back on the field, roaming the sidelines and sharing his knowledge of the game. Football can’t come soon enough.
