Clemson Football: 5 players trending up after spring 2019

Can Clemson football get back to the national title game in 2019? It will need these five players to continue that upward trend in order to do so.

To say expectations are at an all-time high for Clemson football following a national title-winning season would be a massive understatement, but Dabo Swinney wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Tigers are returning some of the nation’s best players, including two Heisman candidates in Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence along with Justyn Ross and a talented receiving corps. The offense is expected to be dominant in 2019 while the defense should be stingy yet again.

While the household names are on everyone’s mind concerning the Tigers, there were some under-the-radar guys who stepped up this spring.

Which five Tigers are trending up after spring ball?

This spot was originally reserved for Shaq Smith, a junior linebacker who had a huge spring and looked to make moves on the depth chart, but surprisingly entered the transfer portal on May 15.

That makes Derion Kendrick the easy choice to replace him on this list after showing his versatility during the spring game and the coaching staff could start him on either side of the ball. The sophomore played some receiver and cornerback and he even returned kicks.

Coming off a solid freshman season where he accounted for 15 catches for 210 yards and five rushes for 36 yards as well as two tackles and a fumble recovery, Kendrick looks like one of the most impressive athletes on the roster.

Will Kendrick crack the starting lineup on either side of the ball? It’s possible, but he definitely opened some eyes this spring.