Clemson’s spring football recap

What we learned this spring: There’s no immediate cure to Clemson’s QB woes. If fans were hoping highly touted freshman Cade Klubnik would offer a genuine alternative to much-maligned D.J. Uiagalelei, there was little evidence of a real competition this spring. Indeed, Uiagalelei drew a fair amount of praise from coaches after he arrived with a slimmed-down physique and a renewed focus on football. Meanwhile, Klubnik endured his share of freshman mistakes. That much might’ve been expected, but after Clemson saw early signs that Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence would ultimately unseat a veteran ahead of them on the depth chart during their first spring practices, there’s a lot more gray area with Klubnik and plenty of questions remaining about Uiagalelei.

What we need to learn by Week 1: Pretty much everything about the offense. Following a season defined by offensive injuries and ineptitude, spring ball at Clemson was largely marked by … offensive injuries and ineptitude. There was progress in a few areas, and new offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter and passing game coordinator Kyle Richardson talked at length about a trimmed-down playbook aimed at letting playmakers make plays. Thing is, there weren’t many playmakers on the field during spring ball. From Beaux Collins to Will Shipley to Kobe Pace and Will Taylor, there just weren’t many options for the QBs to use. And while Dabo Swinney says he’s in the market for a transfer on the O-line, the existing group remains a work in progress. In other words, the only offensive certainty after spring is that there’s still not much that’s certain.