Clemson's Talking Season Begins: 5 Burning Questions

After a long, quiet offseason, Clemson football's "talking season" begins Tuesday.

The Tigers' coaching staff will meet this week with the media for the first time since the spring game, including head coach Dabo Swinney. He'll also be heading to Charlotte, N.C., for ACC Kickoff's Atlantic Division day on Thursday, along with three of his players.

This will end one of the longest droughts of speaking with local media in Swinney's 12-year head-coaching tenure with Clemson. That means there were plenty of questions to ask him and other members of the program.

Here are five burning questions heading into a busy week of words and hopefully answers concerning the 2021 season for the Tigers:

1. What is the health status of Justyn Ross?

The wide receiver was supposed to have his final doctor's visit in early June with the surgeon who performed his congenital fusion operation, but there's been no official update on whether Clemson's most productive returning pass-catcher has been cleared to fully participate when fall camp opens in early August.

Right now, it's likely that a decision hasn't been completely made. The school has been very transparent about the injury dating back to last summer, but it's one of the first questions Swinney will be asked this week. The offense greatly needs Ross in the passing game with Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell in the NFL, and if he's back to his old form, Ross is one of the best receivers in college football.

2. What changes did Brent Venables make to the defense after the Ohio State blowout?

Clemson's defensive coordinator met with the media just once since his side of the ball gave up 49 points and 639 yards to the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff's Sugar Bowl semifinal. However, the university recently approved a contract extension and raise for Venables, who's widely considered one of the most successful coordinators in the country.

Back in April, Venables wanted to "burn it all": the game plan, the execution, everything. Now that the season is coming up, it's fair to ask what exactly he plans to do with this year's stop unit to make sure what happened in January doesn't occur again. It helps that he'll have ridiculously deep and experienced personnel to work with, but scheme and execution were just plain poor the last time the Tigers' proud defense took the field. There is much to atone for in 2021.

3. Can Clemson win with its backup QB situation?

When Taisun Phommachanh went down with a torn Achilles in the spring game, keeping starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei healthy and upright became of the utmost importance. There's not the comfort of a five-star backup or even an experienced Chase Brice to fall back on this fall.

Swinney chose not to go the transfer portal route in the offseason, and big-time prospect Bubba Chandler spurred Clemson for Major League Baseball last week. That leaves walk-on Hunter Helms and true freshman Will Taylor as the only real options behind Uiagalelei. QB coach Brandon Streeter, offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and Swinney will have to explain how they'll handle using Uiagalelei in the run game and whether or not they're confident Helms can handle running things if the starter goes down.

4. What will be different about Clemson's offensive line in 2021?

The most maligned position on offense last fall has some serious improvements to make. The Tigers went from averaging 6.37 yards per rush in 2019 to 4.49 per carry in 2020. That drop-off didn't occur because of a running back change; all-time leading rusher Travis Etienne returned for his senior season. It was because of an offensive line that didn't create enough holes for their star running back.

Three starters return, including ACC Kickoff attendee and guard Matt Bockhorst, so there will need to be some explaining as to what O-line coach Robbie Caldwell and the rest of the staff found when things went wrong. A more normal offseason than last summer could help the continuity, but the Tigers need more depth and balance along that front if they want to have a truly special season.

5. Will Clemson be ready for a huge opener against Georgia?

Sept. 4 can't come soon enough for fans, but for the coaches and players, the next six weeks won't be long enough. Opening the season with a top-notch opponent like the Bulldogs is the ultimate test, but there is a ton of work needed. Clemson simply hasn't looked good against high-level teams in losses to LSU in 2019 and Ohio State in 2020, but will Georgia play at that level right out of the gate?

That remains to be seen, but what the Tigers can do is control their preparation and mindset. This program has been built on playing and winning early-season games just like this, so there shouldn't be any shell-shock. However, the coaches have to identify the best playmakers on offense and develop a nasty mentality on defense to fire as much as possible on all cylinders.

The Tigers are currently 3.5-point favorites over the Bulldogs, according to FanDuel.