Huggies and Luvs on the defensive line

CLEMSON— All four of the All-Americans that comprised Clemson’s starting defensive line a year ago (Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence and Austin Bryant) have departed for the professional ranks, providing opportunities for a number of young defensive playmakers.

However, even though the Tigers have a bevy of talented defenders, the coaching staff is waiting until they have played some games until they are ready to set the starters in stone.

In fact, the Tigers' depth chart listed both defensive end positions and one of the defensive tackle spots with co-starters, meaning even the head coach doesn't know who will get the start.

“I don't know who will run out there first. We still have practice,” Dabo Swinney said. “I don't know who will run out there on that d-line. We are going to play a bunch of guys. We are going to play five ends and probably five or six d-tackles. You are going to see us play 9-to-11 guys every game until we can figure out or see separation.

I do know this – we’re going to play a lot of guys. We’ve got a bunch of guys that I think are just like a big ole pack. They’re all doing great. I love those guys, and they all bring something to the table."

One player that many people had penciled in as a starter at one of the defensive end spots was sophomore Xavier Thomas.

Thomas, a freshman All-American and consensus top five recruit from the class of 2018 posted 43 tackles, 10.5 for loss and 3.0 sacks, still needs to prove to the coaching staff that he is an every down player.

"Xavier Thomas, that guy is a special talent," Swinney said. "But he’s got to be a day-in, down-in, down-out special player, not just a special talent. He’s really made a ton of progress in camp."

K.J. Henry returns after electing to red shirt a year ago, when he personally approached the coaching staff with the idea after playing four games early in the season. The defensive end group also includes junior Justin Foster, a trusted option by the coaching staff who had a sack and a recovered fumble at Texas A&M last year, as well as sophomore Logan Rudolph, who totaled 13 tackles in reserve. The staff has also expressed enthusiasm about Justin Mascoll, who redshirted his first season at Clemson last year.

"Justin Foster, he’s just an old salty dog. He’s just steady.You can count on him. He’s tough," Swinney said. "I think we’ve got an excellent group. Those five guys are kind of where it starts at D-end for us. All of them are going to play. Will somebody separate as we get into the game? I don’t know. I think they could all really be factors for us."a

The group at defensive tackle is not quite as muddle up as the defensive ends, as graduate Nyle Pinckney, redshirt sophomore Jordan Williams and true freshman Tyler Davis have done exactly what the coaching staff had hoped—created separation from the rest of the pack.

"Right now, Nyles and Jordan and Tyler have kind of separated,” Swinney said. “Those three guys have created some separation and done a great job. Really feel good about those three. That’s pretty impressive for a guy like Tyler Davis. He’s been here since January, and he’s one of those guys that’s just kind of gotten it. He’s to the point now where we’re kind of throwing him in there with Nyles and Jordan. All three of those guys are guys that I think are ready to go play."

While the depth chart for the first game may contain more questions than answers, one thing is certain: this is a very talented group of defenders, but there will also be some growing pains and, more than likely, a few accidents.

“We’ve just got to go play,” Swinney said. “It’s like we’re changing a lot of diapers. When babies are born, they don’t just know how to go to the bathroom. They don’t know how to walk — they crawl. We’ve got to kind of help them along, and then they’ll figure it out. Eventually they’ll be potty-trained and they can walk. Some walk sooner than others.

“So, I think we’ve got a talented group, we’ve just got to go play and figure it out from there.”