Quarterbacks and ‘crazy’ defensive depth: Eric Mac Lain dishes on Clemson football

When ACC Network studio analyst Eric Mac Lain thinks about Clemson football’s 2022 season, his mind immediately goes to the game’s most important position.

After all, the former Tigers offensive lineman saw firsthand how much elite quarterback play can elevate Clemson. Mac Lain spent the majority of his all-conference career blocking for future national champion Deshaun Watson.

Just don’t call Clemson’s 2022 quarterback situation with junior DJ Uiagalelei and freshman Cade Klubnik a competition, Mac Lain said, because it’s far from it.

“Some people want to classify it as that,” Mac Lain told The State last week during the ACC’s preseason football media days. “It’s not. This is DJ’s job until he loses it. And I don’t think Cade can win it, which might sound crazy. But I don’t think there’s anything that Cade can do where he can jump DJ.”

But if Uiagalelei struggles, Mac Lain added, he’s confident that “Cade will be ready to play, and he’s a winner. He’s competitive as all get out. His best attribute right now is being able to move in the pocket and get things done. DJ can’t really do that. At least, we haven’t seen it. Maybe with this new body and weight loss, he’ll be able to.”

Here’s what else Mac Lain, entering his fourth year as a lead ACCN football analyst, had to say about coach Dabo Swinney’s program entering the fall. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Loaded on defense

“You look at that defense and specifically that defensive line … I’ve thought it, and Coach Swinney has said it: It’s a perfect blend of 2014 and 2018. What I mean by that is it has the depth of 2014, where you just have so many guys, and the star power of 2018. In 2018, if a guy gets hurt, there’s one other guy, maybe, and after that it’s a lot of young guys. This group has the depth and has the first-round talent.”

“I wouldn’t be shocked at all, if you include Trenton Simpson, if there are four defensive ends or linemen drafted in the first round or within the first 50 picks, at least. These guys are extremely deep. At linebacker, it’s crazy that Clemson can lose (Baylon) Spector and (James) Skalski but yet I feel a little better because these guys are very fast. They’re very athletic. They’re coming in with an edge. And I think that they’re going to take a step forward.

“I think there are a few question marks in the back end just because, again, you lose two first-team All ACC guys at cornerback. The good thing about Clemson is they reload and there’s guys waiting. I think (cornerback) Nate Wiggins is really going to surprise a lot of people. I think (cornerback) Sheridan Jones is going to hold down the other spot. And then Andrew Mukuba, he’s my No. 1 safety in the ACC.”

Quarterback dynamics

“I think you should be confident, Clemson fans, in the fact that you do have a backup option that maybe you didn’t have a year ago. But I think those guys’ mindsets — and really, it resonates through the entire team — is that they want each other to be successful. They want to push each other, they want to grind and they ultimately want to have their buddy, their friend, their teammate, win.

“And at the end of the day, they’ve seen great success with that. I think the running back room is a great example of that. I mean, you’ve got three NFL-caliber guys (Will Shipley, Kobe Pace and Phil Mafah) that are sharing the football. There’s only one ball, and normally there’s only one running back on the field. So they’ll figure it out. Ultimately, it’s going to be something where I think the (quarterback) position will get right one way or the other.”

Reflecting on 2021 struggles

“It’s easy to say quarterback. It’s easy to point the finger there. But it was such a lack of consistency. It was such a lack of availability. It does fall on the quarterback, because that’s the nature of the position and he has to be able to be the glue that holds things together, even when it’s different pieces.

“But my goodness … on the offensive line, you could barely have the same guys start each week because of injury or COVID or lack of availability. For wide receivers, at the end of the season they were starting two true freshmen and Will Swinney. That’s no knock on him, but at Clemson there’s a little bit higher of a standard than that. You expect to see five-stars rolling out there. They did a great job and won a great game (in the Cheez-It Bowl against Iowa State) but, again, that lack of availability was such a knock to the cohesion.”

Breakout players

“In that linebacking corps, you look at a guy that’s just an absolute thumper in LaVonta Bentley. I think he’s going to be able to take a really big step forward. At cornerback, Toriano Pride Jr., I think he’s going to be a guy that comes in and plays right away. And then you look at the offensive side of the ball and I think the right guard, Dietrick Pennington, he’s a guy that can take it to another level. Those are some of the guys I’m really keeping my eye on.”

Schedule overview

“Oct. 1 (when Clemson hosts N.C. State). That is a massive, massive date. The winner of that game is going to be playing in the ACC championship. The winner of that game is probably going to be the ACC champion. Obviously, that one’s circled.”

“And then the at game Notre Dame (on Nov. 5) for personal reasons. I’ve got family members up there that are big Golden Domer fans. When I got that done in 2015 (beating Notre Dame), it was a big deal (laughs).