Ah, Clemson. You’ve got so much going for you.
2012 Program Preview - Clemson
There’s Dabo Swinney, recently made richer, who is as excitable and as excitable and as excitable as any head coach in football. There’s El Tigre del Sur, the cocaine loving mascot. And last year, they gave us this:
All your derp are belong to us.
Clemson is special for many reasons. After the jump, we’ll keep it draft-specific with the prospects worth noting as well as some games and matchups to pencil into your calendar.
References
Shakin the Southland (SBN Clemson community...which you should definitely have on your radar if you’re an Xs and Os nerd), SB Nation team page, official team site, Dane Brugler’s preview for CBSSports
Notable offensive prospects
| Name | POS | Yr. | Early projected Rd (notes) |
| Andre Ellington | RB | RS Sr. | 3 |
| Dalton Freeman | C | RS Sr. | 5 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | WR | Jr. | 4 |
| Brandon Thomas | G | RS Jr. | 5 |
| Tajh Boyd | QB | RS Jr. | 6 |
| Mike Bellamy* | RB | Soph. | N/A *(Bellamy was dismissed due to academic ineligibility) |
| Sammy Watkins* | WR | Soph. | N/A *(Watkins is likely going to miss some time due to a drug arrest in May) |
Notable defensive prospects
| Name | POS | Yr. | Early projected Rd (notes) |
| Malliciah Goodman | DE | Sr. | 4 |
| Jonathan Meeks | SS | Sr. | 7 |
| Rashard Hall | FS | Sr. | 7 |
| Quandon Christian | OLB | RS Jr. | 5 |
| Spencer Shuey | ILB | RS Jr. | UD |
| Corey Crawford | DE | RS Soph. | 6 |
| Stephone Anthony | ILB | Soph. | N/A |
Tony Steward  | OLB | Soph. | N/A (coming off of an ACL injury; redshirt request denied) |
Summary
For those of you who didn’t pick up on it, Sammy Watkins’ data is green. No, not because of the weed; Watkins is a serious prospect largely, though not entirely, because of speed. He’s still a true sophomore, though, so he won’t be eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of quality prospects on the team. Malliciah Goodman petered out at the end of the season, but showed flashes of capability. DeAndre Hopkins isn’t an irrelevant WR himself. And Andre Ellington will attract plenty of attention from teams looking to add some explosiveness to their backfields.
Key games
Auburn (home) - Week 1 (Sat., Sept. 1 - 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
A great game to kick off the season of Saturday night performances, we get a repeat of last year’s game that saw Clemson go on a three-game stretch of victories over ranked opponents. With Ball St. and Furman on the calendar after this season opener, Clemson would be well-served by going into ACC play without a loss to their name.
Florida St. (away) - Week 4 (Sat., Sept. 22 - TBD)
Assuming the Seminoles walk through Murray St., Savannah St. and Wake Forest (and they should), this is their first big game of the season. Given their national aspirations, this game can’t be overstated in its importance to them. It’s significant for Clemson too, with the first realistic chance to spoil those aspirations.
South Carolina (home) - Week 13 (Sat., Nov. 24 - TBD)
It’s practically impossible to know what both teams will be playing for in this game. Conference championship berths? A BCS bowl (goodbye, BTW)? Can’t count it all out. And to finish the regular season like 2010 and 2008? We all win.
Key matchups
WR Sammy Watkins v. North Carolina St. CB David Amerson, Week 12 - Sat., Nov. 17
Top WR prospect v. top CB prospect. Do you really need more?
WR Sammy Watkins v. Florida St. CB Xavier Rhodes, Week 4 - Sat., Sept. 22
See above.
RB Andre Ellington v. Virginia Tech MLB Bruce Taylor, Week 8 - Sat., Oct. 20
I mentioned Ellington’s explosiveness. If there’s a linebacker in the ACC who can shut the Tigers’ running game down single-handedly, it’s Taylor. Had he not suffered a season-ending foot injury in the middle of last year, we’d likely be talking about him as an NFL rookie. As it is, he’s got one more year left with the Hokies; no doubt Tech fans are happy to have him.
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