The Return of the Tight Ends
Throughout Dabo Swinney's tenure as head football coach at Clemson, there have been a number of talented tight ends come through the program. Guys like Michael Palmer, Dwayne Allen, Brandon Ford in the earlier years, and more recently Jordan Leggett in the College Football Playoff era.
"I mean that's the way it's been here for 12 years since I've been the head coach I mean, you know, we had a little last year but you know our personnel, we've always been a big tight end oriented team, you can go back," head coach Dabo Swinney said. "My first group there. Mike Palmer, Michael Palmer, I think went on play five years in the NFL and Dwayne Allen took over from him. Obviously, he was a great one. Brandon Ford came after him. Jordan Leggett came after."
However, since the departure of Leggett after the 2016 season, the team has struggled to find that next breakout player at the position.
That isn't to downplay the roles of guys like Garrett Williams or Milan Richard, but they weren't the dynamic athletes that could make an impact in the passing game.
In 2016, Leggett caught 46 passes, with seven of those being touchdowns. In the three seasons since he's exited the program, the team has gotten 58 catches total and just four touchdowns from the position.
It is an aspect of the passing game that has been sorely missed. The tight end can provide that safety valve for a quarterback, something Clemson fans might recall from the 2016 national title season when Leggett played that role so well for then quarterback Deshaun Watson.
A dynamic, pass-catching tight end can create mismatches, particularly across the middle of the field. Coincidentally, the middle of the field is an area the Tigers failed to attack with any consistency in 2019.
With Braden Galloway back the offense finally has that pass-catching threat that it has missed in recent seasons.
"Braden was kind of a guy that was really coming along for us and then, obviously, he couldn't play last year," Swinney said. "So, you know just, we've got some dynamic guys there. And, you know, Davis (Allen) was a true freshman last year and he's really emerged for us. Braden obviously being back."
Galloway showed glimpses of his potential in the College Football Playoff after his return from a year-long suspension. Against Ohio State, he had a couple of key blocks in the running game, and then against LSU had two catches for sixty yards, showing off his playmaking ability.
In 2020, he has become the weapon that many thought he would be. Galloway has recorded a career-high-tying 60 yards on a career-high five receptions at Wake Forest, gained 17 yards on two catches vs. Virginia, caught four passes for 74 yards with two touchdowns vs. No. 7 Miami, the first multi-touchdown game by a Clemson tight end since Jordan Leggett scored twice against Virginia Tech in the 2016 ACC Championship Game. He also added five receptions for 33 yards vs. Syracuse, gained 46 yards on three receptions at No. 4 Notre Dame, caught two passes for 37 yards vs. Pitt, and, most recently, caught a career-long 49-yard pass at Virginia Tech.
'So, you know, it's just really, you know, if you'd look at the totality of our 12 years, one of the key things is we've always had good tight ends and so really just kind of developing those guys you know the availability of Braden this year, the development of Davis...We're excited about the group that we have," Swinney added.
Zach Lentz contributed to this story
