To Reach Full Potential, Clemson Needs More From WRs

This Clemson team certainly has a defense capable of competing at the highest level, but is the offense there yet? It's no doubt much improved from a season ago, but is it explosive enough to compete with the best of the best?

Jason Priester All Clemson

Unbeaten through the first eight games of the season, the Clemson Tigers looked primed to make a run at a return trip to the College Football Playoff.

Heading into a much-needed bye week, Dabo Swinney's program is currently ranked No. 5 in the country and needs just one win over Louisville or Miami to punch its ticket to Charlotte.

Let's be real, though. This team has higher aspirations than just reclaiming its spot atop the ACC standings and just getting back to the playoff. The Tigers want to compete for a national title.

This team certainly has a defense capable of competing at the highest level, but is the offense there yet? It's no doubt much improved from a season ago, but is it explosive enough to compete with the best of the best?

We've certainly seen flashes, such as DJ Uiagalelei going toe-for-toe with Sam Hartman in Winston-Salem in the Tigers' 51-45 double-overtime win over Wake Forest. However, we've also seen some inconsistency throughout the season, leading to long offensive lulls.

While much of the attention has been focused on Uiagalelei, Clemson's starting quarterback had been a model of consistency up until the Tigers' most recent game. Despite his bad outing against the Orange, Uiagalelei has still thrown for more than 1,800 yards, is still completing 64% of his passes and has 17 TDs to just four interceptions.

Obviously, the Tigers need more from their veteran QB than they got in the comeback win over Syracuse. However, the position the team really needs more production from is its wideouts.

The Tigers have really suffered from not having that alpha guy like Mike Williams, Tee Higgins or DeAndre Hopkins. A player that can just take over a game when it's needed.

Antonio Williams has absolutely been a bright spot. The true freshman leads the team in catches (29) and receiving yards (375), despite having started in just four games. It's hard to ask for much more than that from a true freshman that didn't even enroll early.

However, the Tigers do need more from some of their veteran receivers. Senior Joseph Ngata has 20 receptions, but just one touchdown catch. He's on pace for just 30 catches in the regular season.

Sophomore Beaux Collins has shown flashes and leads the team with five touchdown grabs, but has, at times, struggled with drops. He's on pace for just 27 catches.

Junior E.J. Williams, who was listed as a co-starter coming into the season, has all but disappeared from the offense altogether, logging just 12 snaps against Syracuse.

In the 2016 national title season, Williams reeled in 98 catches for more than 1,300 yards and 11 TDs. In the 2018 national title season, Justyn Ross finished with 1,000 yards and Higgins finished just shy of the mark. 

It's that kind of production that the offense is lacking so far in 2022. While the Tigers don't need someone to replicate those numbers exactly, the offense would greatly benefit from more consistency.

Heading into the final four games of the regular season, it might be worth watching to see how much more involved the coaching staff tries to get the Tigers' other freshman, Adam Randall. After making his debut in Week 3, Randall played a season-high 32 snaps against the Orange. However, he still has just five catches and hasn't seen a ton of targets.

Outside of Williams, this is a group that has vastly underwhelmed to this point. If this offense is to reach its full potential, guys like Collins and Ngata have to be better at creating separation, winning their one-on-one matchups, and eliminating the crucial drops, no matter who is throwing them the passes.

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