Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley believes there’s a lot of potential for leadership on the offensive side of the ball heading into the 2024 season.
Riley and other coaches spoke to the media Tuesday at the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex. When asked about leadership, Riley highlighted quarterback Cade Klubnik, running back Phil Mafah and tight end Jake Briningstool in particular.
Mafah is unquestionably the leader at running back for the Tigers after Will Shipley declared for the NFL Draft following his junior season. Mafah rushed for 965 yards and 13 touchdowns on 179 carries a season ago.
Riley described Mafah as a quiet leader.
“He’s gonna do it by his actions and his play and is just always doing the right thing,” Riley said of the Tigers’ senior tailback. “He’s certainly a guy that our guys look to.”
Briningstool, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound tight end out of Brentwood, Tenn., is also entering his senior season. He emerged as a true threat in 2023, catching 50 passes for 498 yards and five touchdowns in his first year as a full-time starter.
“Jake Briningstool comes to mind as someone who’s really improved and kind of emerged in that (leadership) role,” Riley said. “I’m really proud of him and his maturity and what he’s done in kind of taking that thing by the horns a little bit through the spring and this summer.”
As for Klubnik, Riley said he believes that a year of experience as the Tigers’ quarterback will help going forward. Klubnik started all 13 games a season ago and threw for 2,844 yards with 19 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
“I know Cade has certainly improved on (leadership) as well now that he’s played and kind of has some credibility that (he’s) been the guy for a year,” Riley said.
When asked if he’d had a conversation with Klubnik on taking the reins, Riley said that it was always a topic of conversation in the team’s quarterback room.
“That whole quarterback room, that’s something you’re always trying to evolve and get better with, and it’s one of those things where there’s a little bit of a fine line,” Riley said. “You can’t be a fraud and try to overdo it. You can’t do too little. In my mind, there’s kind of a balance and a happy medium to it and he’s certainly finding his own with it.”
Riley also spoke of the Tigers’ leadership up front and mentioned offensive linemen Tristan Leigh and Blake Miller as “guys that bring a lot to the table from a leadership standpoint.”
Clemson Wire
