Swinney: Clemson Must Develop at the Cornerback Position

Dabo Swinney has been his usual positive self during spring practice so far, but he wasn't afraid to admit that cornerback is one position the Tigers need to develop consistency in before the 2020 season begins.

Dabo Swinney has been positive about what he's seen so far in spring practice, but the Clemson head coach admits that there was one specific position that, while talented, needed to develop before the season starts in August: cornerback.

“That's probably the one position that we've got to develop,” Swinney said. “We got a bunch of our top picks in the recruiting process, what we consider our top picks. We love our guys. We love our room.”

One of the biggest reasons the Tigers need to focus on developing their talent at the cornerback position is that starter A.J. Terrell decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

Terrell was a dependable workhorse for the Tigers. That showed in his snap count and in the awards he earned at the end of the year. 

Terrell accounted for 785 total snaps in 2019. Only Trevor Lawrence, Tremayne Anchrum, Jackson Carman and Isaiah Simmons saw more snaps.

Another major reason the Tigers need to focus on developing their talent at the cornerback position is that the remaining starter, Derion Kendrick, is in only his second full season as a cornerback. His development is one of the two main things that Swinney is concerned with this spring.

Derion Kendrick / © Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

“Obviously, DK being back and him taking another step and then getting consistency at that position,” said Swinney.

Kendrick is a former 5-star athlete who started at receiver and then moved to corner last season.

Clemson will need Kendrick to continue to grow into his role as a leader while at the same time continuing to develop himself as a defensive player. As good as he was last year, it was still only his freshman season as a starting cornerback in college.

The Tigers will also need other players to step up into a bigger role next year alongside Kendrick and fill in the void left with Terrell’s exit to the NFL.

One of those guys who could step up is junior Mario Goodrich, but he is currently coming back from an ankle injury that he suffered during mat drills.

Swinney spoke highly of the potential of Sheridan Jones, who had a big spring game last year, and Andrew Booth. Both are expected to step into larger roles as sophomores. 

“I'm really excited about (Goodrich's) potential. Very excited about Sheridan's potential, very excited about Fred's (Davis) potential, and Booth’s potential. We feel like we got the right things. LeAnthony (Williams) gives us a veteran presence in there he's continued to work on his body and give himself a better chance to compete.”

Booth is also recovering from injury as spring practice continue. Kendrick was also off the field nursing a hamstring injury. At the start of the second week of practice, the Tigers only had four total cornerbacks on the field in Jones, Williams, Davis and Herbstreit. 

While this isn’t the ideal situation for the coaches, it could be exactly what those four players need to get more individual attention from the coaches and possibly a few more opportunities to show what they are capable of.

“It's a good group,” said Swinney. “We got the right guys but we got to develop the leadership at that position.”

Who do you think will end up starting at cornerback for the Tigers in 2020? Let us know in the comments!