Jimmys and Joes, not X's and O's: Athlon releases anonymous opinions from ACC coaches
Athlon Sports released opinions of every ACC team, from anonymous coaches in the league. The Tigers, who are looking for a record 4th consecutive outright ACC title were fairly well thought of, but Kelly Bryant's ability to lead Clemson's passing attack was questioned.
One coach likes Dabo Swinney's recruiting mindset, and noted that it's not about X's and O's, but Jimmys and Joes.
"There’s not a better example of the vital importance of recruiting than what has gone on at Clemson in the last six or seven years. Dabo (Swinney) knew from Day 1 it’s not about X’s and O’s, it’s about those Jimmys and Joes. They are so good and so deep and so talented at just about every position. What do they have, a couple five-star quarterbacks on that roster? We recruited Trevor Lawrence hard, and trust me when I say this: He’s the real deal. He may not be the starter in the first week of the season, but I’d be shocked if he’s not by the last."
A couple of other coaches raved about the Tigers' linemen play:
"You look at that defensive line, and I’m not kidding, there are NFL teams that would be pretty happy having that group. You’re looking at a two-deep of guys that will play in the NFL. Guys that are legitimate disrupters, like Dexter Lawrence and Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant. It just never stops."
"They’re just so good on the lines of scrimmage. They maul you on the offensive line, then have the fast and deceptively strong tailbacks that run through creases and run over defenders in the second level."
Two other coaches were a bit skeptical of Kelly Bryant's passing attack.
"They didn’t throw the ball last year as well as they have in the past. They weren’t a threat downfield, and a lot of their stuff that was successful came on broken plays. Think about how good that team was when you aren’t really efficient in the passing game and still get to the playoff."
"They have 14 starters returning. Dabo is not going to put up with an average passing game again."
Take a look at the full article here.
