Upon watching Clemson's spring game...

...and doing a smidgen of googling, a few things are worth taking away: (long read)

OFFENSE:

The are loaded at the skill positions, most notably WR and QB. At QB, they have Lawrence, who's elite, but the backup Brice is no slouch. They could probably go undefeated in the ACC with Brice at the helm. Having said that, I think Bama could win the ACC with Slade Bolden at QB, so it might be saying more about the ACC than Brice. Still, they've got elite and decent insurance at QB.

At WR, much like Alabama, they are absolutely stacked - the only difference being that they've got more height at the position. But they've got a bunch of future NFL players at WR. Really stacked position group.

At RB, I honestly didn't see too much, as no RB flashed through 2 quarters and they were throwing much more than running, but they ought to be fine. I'm honestly just assuming they've recruited well. But as a Bama fan, whoever they have line up at RB is not that big of a concern for me. They'll have someone to get it done, but that player won't be much of a factor versus Bama. The most likely back to get touches after Etienne is Dixon, and he can play. They next guy, Feaster, considered a transfer a few months ago, but is still in Clemson at this time. But they'll be fine at RB and will have a 1-2 punch. Just my dos pesos...

At Oline, they lost their LT (maybe best Tackle in their program history) and Center, and RG was shaky last year, as they went through 3 guys trying to find a starter. This year, they have a guy who they think will replace the LT, and he's was pretty good in spots as a reserve last year. They guy who finally won the RG job down the stretch last year will likely slide to Center. And so, while they return some good pieces at RT and LG, they're retooling a line that desperately needs to build depth and replace an amazing LT. This is one of the areas Clemson could take a step back, IMO. And if they have an injury or 2, look out. They need a guy to win an NCAA appeal to even have a decent backup center, or so I read.

TE is the next position group where they look to take a step back. They've lost their best 3 guys at the position over the last 2 years, and the number 1 guy as of today needs to win an NCAA appeal (common theme) to even be eligible for 2019. Without him, they're past thin into nobody territory at TE. Granted, their riches at WR might mask it, but they are crazy thin at TE with both bodies and talent.

DEFENSE:

From the 2018 defense, they lost 2 starting DBs, 2 starting LBs, and their best 5 defensive lineman (4 starters and their best backup). This means that they lost 6 of their starting front 7 and 8 of their starting 11. It's a big rebuild job. They've recruited well, but we all know how it goes to lose a crapload of talent at once (ahem, 2017 -> 2018 Bama secondary).

At, DLine they do return some guys at End who can play, but their presumed starters at Tackle both sat out Spring because of surgery. So, their "starters" at Tackle for Spring have been Mr. Nobody and his brother, Señor Nadie. Granted, I expect Clemson to have some young talent, but they should not be even remotely close to what they were in 2018 at DLine.

At LB, they redshirted a non-freshman last year who would've been a pretty good starter for most, and they do have some talent, but I didn't see any LBs stand out too much to my eye. Granted, spring games are like that sometimes, but nobody flashed except the guy I mentioned above, at least through the first half. Again, it's a bit of a rebuild job.

At, DB they lost 2 guys and had some spring injuries at corner, but they moved a WR over and he's apparently now a starter and pretty good. They seem to be solid at Safety with returning talent, but Corner is a bit of a concern. Again, this position is a bit of a rebuild job.

REGARDING THE GAME ITSELF:

Dabo was right next to Herbstriet and Galloway for basically the entire first half, and it's a good watch for Xs and Os buffs, and was pretty entertaining overall. However, and few things stuck out to me.

1) Lawrence was a tad inconsistent and they had a few drops. His drives, when they stalled, stalled more because of offensive execution rather than great defense. He, like Tua, enjoys the long ball, even if they're covered. Dabo gave him an earful after a bad read on one.

2) Speaking of that bad read, he threw it to a freshman being covered by an All-American, and he had an All-American WR on the other side being covered by a freshman. Lawrence told his coach that he "thought the DB was playing too far off", to which Dabo told him that "that's not the matchup. It's all about the matchup. You throw at the freshman." I found this fascinating, and it really explains a lot about Savion Smith's undoing in the Championship game. Dabo seems to really emphasize going after a defense's literal weakspot regarding personnel.

3) Granted, Dabo's spring game isn't 1s vs 1s or anything like that - he just divides the teams fairly evenly and let's the coaches choose which defense and offense they want coach in the game - defense A or defense B. And so, you can't really get a look at their starting D as a whole, but I cam away extremely unimpressed with them defensively. And the funny thing is, not one person talked about it. Dabo, Herbie, and Galloway talked about offense 100% of the time, with the exception of mentioning a young player one or twice. It was like Clemson Skill Talent Appreciation Day and everybody was celebrating.

Everyone was gushing over the skill guys, and lauding this throw and that catch. And I'm sitting there thinking, "I'd be concerned about the fact that no one was within 12 yards of the receiver." But hey, that's just me. And they didn't get much pass rush to my eye, either.

I'll just say this: Clemson needs to take several big steps forward if they want to have a defense good enough for our annual matchup in the Alabama Invitational come January.

4) I found a stark contrast in the fact that the most popular thread the last 2 days on this forum has been worry-warting about the presence of 2 players' Dad at practice, while Dabo openly comments positively that Tee Higgins mother can be heard over a 2/3 full stadium, yelling at her son to catch the ball after a drop.

Face it, many parents like to be around their children and be involved in their lives, and if done appropriately and with clear boundaries, it can not only NOT be a negative, it can be a strong positive. I also know that while Saban is a black and white process-style CEO, he's still a human, a father, and a grand-father. And while Bama is frequently focused on business, it would be folly to forget that we also foster an environment of inclusion regarding the players' familes, not only from Nick but from Mrs Terry, as well.

Sure, Dabo has created a nice family-oriented culture at Clemson, but many here (and in the media) act like Saban is running an emotionless institution, and it's just patently false.

In summary, Clemson will be nasty on offense if they sort out the Oline and pivot scheme-wise away from the TE, but defense ought to take somewhere between small step back and a really big one - I'm not sure which. Sure, their schedule is weak overall, and they like to be a completely different team late in the season, but they are losing an absolute ton on defense, and the replacements aren't exactly amazing. Some talent yes, but it's a huge rebuild.

I expect Clemson to be in the playoffs, but I think they have a lot more questions to answer on their team than we do. Just my 2 cents.