Heart of The Tigers: 3 Impact Players For '08

College Football remains, despite a plethora of changes of it’s 130+year history, primarily a team sport; yet one special season for one player can transform a team-see 2005-06 Notre Dame with Brady Quinn. The obvious offensive (Harper, Kelly, Grisham, Davis, Spiller) and defensive (Sapp, Bowers, Hamlin, Butler) stars aside, here are three players who, with special seasons, could push the Tigers over the hump in 2008. 

1) Thomas Austin. The frontman. One of only two returning starters on the o-line (if you count center-turned-guard Barry Humphries' 7-starts in 2007), Austin has been touted by some as a future All-ACC player at center, and his leadership and consistency will be crucial for a line that looks to improve over last year's bunch that let Cullen Harper taste turf way too many times and struggled to open holes for the running game. Austin himself had issues with snaps at times, particularly during the BC game. Line coach Brad Scott has been candid on the inexperience of the unit, which figures to start two redshirt freshmen at some point, but has nevertheless expressed confidence in Austin as the line's leader. 

2) Brandon Maye. The who? This relatively unheralded, redshirt freshman MIKE backer may be the key to consistency at Clemson's weakest defensive position. The school that produced Jeff Davis, Levon Kirkland, and LeRoy Hill finds itself hurting for performers behind the defensive line, but Maye showed himself a capable fill-in for then-suspended starter Courtney Vincent, pressuring JR Josh Miller for much of the spring. With 3 new starters at linebacker, Maye's success may be vital to the continued rise of the Tiger D to the best in the nation

3) Mark Buccholz. The overlooked. I'll say it again; entire games can rest on the kicker's shoulders at times. Without any insight from coaches Bowden or Powell, we have to assume that he still has the job, which means he'll once again have (perhaps unfair) pressure on him if/when the offense stalls. If the rest of the team is playing up to it's vast potential, Buccholz shouldn't be asked to make 50+ yard field goals to win/tie the game, but he'll likely be asked to kick a few game-changers nonetheless. The fact that he handles kickoffs as well makes him an even more crucial cog in the Tiger war machine.

The aforementioned stars on both sides of the ball will (perhaps rightly) grab most of the headlines this fall, but keep your eye on these three. A great season from one or all might not translate into an ACC title and BCS berth, but each one is in a position to help carry the team with a stellar individual effort.