Young Tiger linebackers ready for action

By Bob Wilson  |   Tuesday, March 13, 2007  |  Comments( 6 )

Clemson Tigers
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Next season, the Clemson Tigers may be forced to play some young and inexperienced linebackers. Head coach Tommy Bowden is hoping that Antonio Clay will return to school after taking a semester off to deal with the death of his sister, and that Tramaine Billie will fully recover from his broken ankle and be the explosive playmaker that he was prior to his injury. However, the staff is being forced to make contingency plans.

Kavell Conner stands the most to gain from the uncertain status of Clay and Billie. Conner, a rising redshirt sophomore, is currently atop the preseason depth chart at weakside linebacker. Conner has two years in the Clemson system and understands what is expected of the position. Last year the Richmond, Va., native was in on 27 stops, including 15 solo tackles. He appears to be ready to step in and become a full-time starter if needed.

The man backing up Conner has been a bit of a disappointment so far. Josh Miller was a big-time recruit who spurned Florida State and Virginia Tech to be a Tiger, but so far he has not produced much. The coaches initially hoped Miller's performance would have forced them to play him more, but he is developing slower than expected. He only made 12 tackles (four solo) in a backup role in 2006.

Jeremy Campbell is slated as the starter at strongside linebacker, meanwhile, but will likely drop to second team if Billie expectedly returns to full strength. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, he is slightly bigger than Billie, but not as athletic. The Port Orange, Fla., native didn't see too much action as a freshman, so the coaches would like to use Campbell to spell the starters for one more year before asking him to play more downs. He made 16 tackles last season -- eight solo and eight assists.

Fortunately for Clemson, Nick Watkins can provide some stability. The senior led the defense with 94 total tackles in 2006. Of those 96 stops, 54 were solo tackles -- which was good for second on the team and first among the 'backers.

In all likelihood, Clay will come back to school, Billie will recover, and the Tigers will have plenty of experience and depth at the linebacker position. But if not, the young cubs are ready to step up.
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