Dabo Swinney: Offenses Have 'Evolved'; So Has Defending Them
College football is always changing and as the sport evolves, so do the players that play the game.
The sport has gone from offenses that relied almost solely on the ground game to the fast-paced aerial attacks that dominate the game today. As those offenses have changed, so have the way coaches defend them, and according to Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney it's had a major impact on the linebacker position.
Swinney said now more than ever teams are looking for guys that display much more athleticism, as well as being speedy enough to step back into coverage against not only the bigger, faster tight ends, but also the dynamic receivers teams are now lining up in the slot.
"You're seeing as the game has changed, all these slots, these really athletic tight ends and the RPO stuff, you got to have guys that can cover. So you know, having true SAM linebackers, you know, you're limited. Because you're not gonna play much man coverage with a true SAM linebacker on Hunter Renfrow or Braden Galloway."
"And then same thing in the box. You know that WILL backer, what he's got to be able to do and the space of the game... You know, I think it's just evolved."
Over the past several seasons the Tigers have had a number of linebackers that fit that mold. Dorian O'Daniel and Isaiah Simmons are two of the more well-known names that the Tigers have had a lot of success with in that SAM spot. Both have gone onto play at the next level, with Simmons being a first-round selection of the Cardinals last April and Swinney thinks his team now has another player dynamic enough to be a difference-maker at the position.
"Everybody now is looking for a little different guy," Swinney said. "You know we've had some of those guys. Dorian and Isaiah Simmons... Trenton. Guys that can, you know, play linebacker but run like safeties and cover a little bit like corners from time to time if needed."
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