Clemson’s linebacker room is starting to take shape, and Dabo Swinney likes what he’s seeing beyond the obvious star.
Sammy Brown is expected to be a major force this season, with his name already on multiple preseason award and All-American watchlists. But Swinney made it clear going into fall camp that Clemson needed more than one dependable linebacker. By the time the final scrimmage wrapped, he sounded encouraged that the group had answered that challenge.
"That's a group with the arrow up,” Swinney said. “I think the group has done what we need them to do.”
The two players who have pushed themselves to the front behind Brown are Kobe McCloud and Jeremiah Alexander. Swinney said both fifth-year seniors have given the staff confidence that Clemson has a strong top three at linebacker.
“Those two guys have really given us confidence that we've kind of got a top three, if you will, we feel really good about,” he said.
McCloud and Alexander were part-time pieces last season, combining for four starts and 456 snaps while Clemson leaned heavily on Brown and Wade Woodaz. Brown led the team with 107 tackles, while Woodaz finished second with 77 tackles in 1,344 combined snaps before moving on to the NFL’s Houston Texans.
Now, McCloud and Alexander say the comfort level is higher in their second year in defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s system.
“I feel like everybody's 1,000 percent confident in his system and his defense, and ready to rock and roll,” McCloud said.
Swinney also pointed to Fletcher Cothran as part of the group he trusts, saying the graduate senior could be a surprise contributor this season.
The structure of Allen’s 4-2-5 defense makes linebacker depth especially important. With just two linebackers on the field most of the time, rather than the three used in a base 4-3, Clemson is asking those players to handle more responsibility, especially against the run. That makes rotation and freshness a big deal.
Swinney said the next wave of linebackers behind the top four has also made progress. He mentioned C.J. Kubah-Taylor, Drew Woodaz and Logan Anderson as players who have “answered the call” during camp.
“I kind of thought those first four guys would really kind of affirm that they're ready to go play, but it was that next group that we needed to see a big jump, and man, they've done a great job,” he said.
Freshman Brayden Reilly earned a mention too, with Swinney saying he looks the part even if he’s still learning the ropes.
“He don't know what he's doing” just yet.
For Clemson, the message is simple: Brown may be the headliner, but the rest of the room has to hold up its end. Swinney believes that can happen.
“It's a better room than people think,” he said. “The biggest thing is, they got to prove that we got more than just one good player there.”
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